Beyond the Door to Light Volume2: The Shinobi Path
by AndrewK9000
Summary: Sora and the gang travel to The Hidden Leaf village to stop The Heartless from plunging the world into darkness. While there, they help a certain hyperactive knucklehead of a ninja and his friends. But the forces of darkness are gathering.
1. Chapter 1: Pratice Makes Perfect

**Greetings fellow readers and writers! This is my second Kingdom Hearts fic and I hope you like it! Okay, this time around Sora and the gang visit the world of Naruto in order to stop The Heartless from plunging said world into darkness. Timewise this takes place about a month and a half after my last Kingdom Hearts fic, while involving certain events that take place in the Shippuden era of Naruto.**

**Now, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Naruto, so please don't sue me, I'm just trying to tell a good story. And now, without further delay, please enjoy…**

**Kingdom Hearts: Beyond the Door to Light**

**By AndrewK9000**

**Volume 2: The Shinobi Path**

…Earth…Sora's house…

"Okay then," said Sora, "I'm ready when you are, Kairi."

"I'm ready," said Kairi.

"So am I," said Riku as he held up the flashcard for Kairi to see.

**Chapter 1: Practice Makes Perfect**

It had been six weeks since Sora, Riku and Kairi returned from their latest adventure; an adventure that took them to another universe called The Magical Dimension, where fairies and witches coexist in a less than harmonious manner, but things balanced themselves there in the end.

But the balance of power in the Magical Dimension was severely upset when a trio of psychotic witches thought it would be a good idea to steal a magical force from its rightful owner, and use that power to summon The Heartless. Had Sora, Riku and Kairi, along with faithful Donald and Goofy, not intervened, then every world of The Magical Dimension would have been consumed by darkness.

Fortunately for The Magical Dimension, Sora and the gang arrived just in time to turn the tide and drive back the darkness, restoring the balance to that universe. But upon returning to Disney Castle with word of their success, Sora and the gang were surprised to hear from King Mickey that things were only just getting started, in terms of the fight against the darkness.

King Mickey and Queen Minnie had another surprise for Sora, Riku and Kairi. Apparently during their travels in The Magical Dimension, the three Keyblade wielders had some strange emotional experiences, meaning that one would sense when the others were in trouble or experiencing a strong emotion. This strange phenomenon was made even stranger for the three young humans since they were sensing each others emotions across great distances, sometimes across both time and space.

The King and Queen clarified this for Sora, Riku and Kairi; they were beginning to show psychic abilities. The King explained that, in time, not only would they be able to sense each other's emotions at will, but could someday be able to communicate telepathically.

And so here is where this story truly begins; with Sora, Riku and Kairi at Sora's house, trying to strengthen their budding mental abilities. Currently Sora and Kairi were sitting at opposite ends of the living room with their backs turned, while Riku sat in front of Kairi holding a set of flashcards. The purpose of this exercise was for Sora to try and guess what Kairi was seeing.

"Anything, Sora?" Riku asked as he held out the first card, a picture of a fire engine.

"Something red," said Sora as he tired his best to focus on what Kairi was seeing, and not on Kairi as a whole. The same thing could be said for Kairi, for she to was having difficulty focusing on the exercise as he thoughts kept drifting to those of Sora.

The two of them have been dating since they returned from The Magical Dimension. Nothing serious, just going to the movies, skateboarding in the park, shopping at the mall, and weather permitting, hanging out on Destiny Islands. Yet despite the fact that Sora and Kairi were much closer then they were back before this whole mess with The Heartless and Keyblades got started, none of them had said the words, those three magic words that make the world go round.

"Okay," said Riku as he got out the next card for Kairi, "not to bad, Sora, but try to focus."

"I am focusing," said Sora, "But it's kind of hard to see through someone else's eyes."

"Any harder than it is to use your own eyes?" teased Kairi.

"I'd like to see you see with my eyes," said Sora as he turned his head to look at Kairi. Both of them grinned.

"Hey, no cheating!" said Riku, "Eyes front, Sora!"

"Yes, teacher," grumbled Sora as he turned his head back. He focused his thoughts again on what Kairi was seeing, "Something green, and juicy."

"Better," said Riku as he lowered the card that had a picture of some grapes, then held up a picture of the full moon.

"Something round and bright," said Sora, "The moon!"

"Much better," said Riku. He then held up something different, a photograph of the island, with Tidus, Wakka and Selphie sitting on the dock, the three of them making silly faces at the camera.

"Old friends and good times," said Sora. This earned a soft laughter from Kairi, then Sora laughed as well. It wasn't long before Riku reluctantly chuckled.

Finally the three Keyblade wielders clamed down enough to continue the exercise. After another five cards, Riku decided for Sora and Kairi to switch, so now Kairi was guessing what Sora saw.

Kairi, as it turns out, was much better at this game than Sora was. The first card showed a ship, which Kairi identified, then gave a few details. Then she described a car, even giving the make and model, but had to really concentrate to tell the license plate.

But then Riku showed Sora one of his drawings that Sora had with him during his journey. This drawing was of several Shadow-type Heartless.

Kairi sensed that, even though Sora was calm on the outside, within he felt a mixture of fear and anger, before the emotional images settled on the picture.

"Sora," said Kairi, "I had no idea you felt so strongly about The Heartless."

"They destroyed countless worlds," said Sora, "And threatened to destroy so many more, while consuming god knows how many hearts in the process. And to make matters worse, not only did I become one of them for a while, I almost lost you and Riku to them as well."

"I also fear and hate The Heartless," said Riku, "Who wouldn't? But the one thing we shouldn't do is allow that fear and hate to rule our hearts."

"That's what I've been doing all this time," said Sora, "Otherwise I would have become one of them long ago, permanently."

"Sora," said Kairi in a reassuring manner. That was all she could say, for how could she tell Sora, the boy who carried her heart for so long, the brave warrior of light and hope who traversed time and space to bring her and Riku home, how could she tell him how she really felt?

Sora then decided to change the subject, "Your turn, Riku."

"Bring it on," said Riku eagerly, for of the three, Riku found this exercise the easiest. Sora and Kairi were dumbfounded as to how Riku could be stronger in terms of mental discipline, as if they didn't know.

But Sora decided to give Riku a tougher challenge. With Kairi as the 'projector,' Sora showed her, not a set of flashcards, but rather some DVD covers. But then Sora was again dumbfounded when Riku cited off each title without hesitation.

"'The Godfather part2,' 'Return of the Jedi,' '2001 a Space Odyssey,' 'Lost: season 1'"

"You are good," said an exasperated Sora.

"Jealousy will get you nowhere, Sora," said Riku, "and the same goes for you, Kairi."

"How did you know I was feeling jealous?" Kairi asked, "Oh wait, right, you could sense it."

Sora was about to say something snappy, or at least he thought it would be snappy, when he, Riku and Kairi, all sensed the same thing, that something important had come. And sure enough, there it was, right on the nearby coffee table, was a message in a bottle, a message bearing The King's crest.

Sora uncorked the bottle, took out the message, unrolled and read it:

_Dear Sora, Riku and Kairi,_

_I hope your training is going well. The Queen and I are confident that you three will soon have more control over your new abilities._

_But to more serious matters. Another universe is under attack by The Heartless. Once again I am in no position to lend any help personally. But it is my hope that you three can help._

_The Queen and I will explain the nature of this new world that is threatened by the darkness, for we're sure you'll find this world very interesting._

_As always, Goofy and Donald will be there to help you. Yes, Donald, I'll tell them that you're ready for anything. You to, Goofy. Oh, did I write that?_

_Anyway, hope this message finds you soon. Best of wishes…_

And the message was signed with The King's crest.

"We've been summoned again," said Riku, stating rather than asking.

"You betcha'," said Sora.

"I can be ready to go in fifteen minutes," said Kairi, "Just got to pack a few things this time."

"Same here," said Riku, "And tell my mom and dad where I'll be."

"Ditto," said Kairi.

"Right," said Sora. With that, Riku and Kairi left for their respective houses to pack and tell their parents that they'll be gone for a while. Sora was packed within five minutes, then called his mom's cell phone, but got her voicemail.

"Mom, it's Sora. Listen, I'll be gone for a while, it's a Keyblade thing, and I don't know when I'll be back. But I promise, if I get the chance, I'll call to let you know that I'm alright, and yes, I'll do everything in my power to come back safely. I love you, mom."

Nine minutes later, Riku and Kairi were back, each carrying an overnight bag packed with a change of clothing, toothbrush and toothpaste, and other essential items for traveling throughout time and space.

"All set?" Sora asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Kairi, while Riku nodded in agreement.

Just then a portal appeared outside the house. Taking a calming breath, Sora, Riku and Kairi entered the portal. They emerge in the library room of Disney Castle, and waiting for them by one of the wall sized bookcases was King Mickey and Queen Minnie.

**…Disney Castle…**

But before anyone could do anything, Sora was once again tackled by Pluto, who began showering Sora with affections. After about ten seconds, Pluto switched to Kairi, then to Riku in turn.

"Aww," said Queen Minnie, "Looks like someone missed someone."

"Hey, Pluto," said King Mickey, "Why don't you go down to the kitchen and see if the cooks can get you a nice juicy steak. How does that sound?"

That the very word steak, Pluto nodded eagerly at The King, then bounded out the room, nearly knocking down Donald and Goofy as they came through he doorway.

"Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going!?" shouted Donald angrily, but then his expression brightened when he saw who was there with The King and Queen, "Sora!"

"Riku! Kairi!" said Goofy happily.

"Hey, guys," said Sora as Riku helped him up. The three humans spent the next few minutes catching up with Donald and Goofy. The former was doing much better in his relationship with Daisy, more or less, while the later was still the same, considering that this is Goofy that we're talking about, that's a big thing.

"Things haven't been the same without you, Sora," said Goofy, "It's all too quiet."

"Well I like it quiet sometimes," said Donald, "And so do you, ya big palooka."

"And this is the same Donald Duck who helped face down Hades, Ursula, Jafar and all those other villains?" Sora asked.

"Well…uh…" said Donald, "I have my moments."

"You certainly do have your moments," said an annoyed Daisy as she stomped into the room, "did you honestly think you could sneak away on another adventure without telling me? Well, did you?"

"I…uh…well…the thing is…" said Donald as he tried to come up with something to reassure Daisy, but the words failed him.

"Oh put a cork in it!" said Daisy, her voice quavering as she looked like she was about to start crying, "Just go already! It's not like you have a good reason to come back!"

"But I do!" said Donald, "I'll always come back for you, Daisy!"

"I almost believe you," said Daisy, "but I know better, you don't care about me at all!

"That's not true," said Queen Minnie, "Donald does care, more than you can ever know, Daisy. He, Goofy, Sora and so many more are fighting The Heartless so that people like you can live in peace and happiness. And he will come back to you."

"Just so he can leave me the next time?" Daisy asked in an accusing tone, "And the next time? When will it end?!"

"It may never end," said Kairi, "not as long as there's darkness in the hearts of people for The Heartless to prey upon. I'm sorry, Daisy, but that's just how it is."

"I know it's unfair," said Queen Minnie in a comforting manner, "that it hurts being separated from someone you love. Believe me, I know it."

"As do I," said King Mickey, "but you need to have faith, Daisy, faith that you and those you care about care for you as well. Keep that in your heart and nothing will take it away."

"I never stopped believing," said Donald as he took hold of Daisy's hand, "nothing will ever stop me caring about you, Daisy, nothing."

"Oh Donald!" exclaimed Daisy happily. With that she began smothering Donald with kisses.

"Well," said Sora, "there's another crisis averted."

"Indeed," said Riku.

It was another five minutes before Daisy finally left the room, her faith in Donald resorted, but not before extracting from him a most solemn promise to come back safe and sound.

"You are one lucky duck, Donald," said Riku, "you know that, right?"

"I sure am," said Donald.

"And he's got Daisy," said Goofy.

"That's what I meant," said Riku.

"Well I'm glad that things are back on track with Donald," said King Mickey, "but I wish things weren't so bad elsewhere."

"The Heartless," said Sora in a more serious tone, "they're back again."

"Yes," said Queen Minnie, "and once again they're attacking another world that exists in another universe, one very different from our own."

"How different?" Kairi asked.

"Very different," said King Mickey, "so let's get down to business. What do you three know about Shinobi?"

"Shinobi?" a confused Sora asked.

"Ninjas, Sora," said Kairi, "Shinobi is another word for ninjas."

"Oh, ninjas," said Sora, "Yeah, I know about them."

"Oh yeah?" Riku asked in an accusing tone, "How much do you know about ninjas?"

"Well," said Sora as he struggled to remember his history lessons, "Ninjas were experts in stealth and surprise. They could move through a building without the occupants ever knowing they were there."

"They were also skilled in espionage and in coming up with some amazing booby traps," said Kairi, "And sometimes they were excellent bodyguards. Oh, female ninjas were known as Kunoichi."

"And sometimes," said Riku, "They were the best assassins the world had ever known. All this the Shinobi did, for the right price."

"True," said King Mickey, "All of it true. But the Shinobi I'm talking about are on a whole different level than the ninjas from your world. What do you know about Chakra?"

"It's a kind of energy produced by the body," said Kairi, "Basically Chakra comes from converted physical energy, or stamina."

"Correct," said King Mickey, "the Shinobi you three will meet are able to use charka to manipulate the elements of nature: Water, Fire, Earth, Air and Lighting."

"I thought there were only for elements of nature," said Sora.

"In this case there's a fifth," said King Mickey, "moving on, Shinobi can be divided into three ranks, depending on their level of experience: a Genin is a rookie, Chûnin is a journeyman, while the best, the elite are called Jônin.

"Shinobi in large groups form villages where they conduct business with their world, as well as train future Shinobi. There are sixteen major 'Hidden Villages' in the world you're going to, as well as several dozen more minor villages. The hidden village that we've the highest concentration of Heartless around is called Konohagakure, The Hidden Leaf Village. While not the largest and most populated hidden village, it does house some of the strongest."

"The leader of the Hidden Leaf village is known as the Hokage," said Queen Minnie.

"I think we've covered the basics," said King Mickey, "now for the really important part. Nearly sixteen years ago, a demon, quite possibly the most powerful of its kind, attacked and threatened to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village. This demon, The 9-Tailed Fox, was so powerful that it could destroy a whole mountain with the flick of one of it's nine tails.

"Many brave Shinobi died trying to hold off the demon from crushing the village into oblivion. And many more would have, if the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, the fourth Hokage, hadn't sacrificed his life to seal the demon away.

"But then something happened that no one expected. We can only guess that the 4th Hokage planned to use his body to seal the demon away, so that when he died, the demon would die with him. But the sealing ritual went wrong, resulting with the 9-tailed Fox being imprisoned in the body of an infant whose parents were killed by the demon."

"That's terrible," said Kairi.

"That's only the beginning," said King Mickey, "this child grew up with the demon locked away inside his body, not knowing that he was a Jinchuuriki, a human serving as a vessel for a demon, until he was 12. During that time he was raised to be a Shinobi, but nearly everyone around him saw him as only a vessel for the demon, possibly as a reincarnation of the demon itself. For this unjust reason the boy was mostly ignored by the people of the village. This lead to the boy attempting to draw attention to himself in rather annoying ways.

"But in the end the boy proved himself more than a vessel for the demon. Not only did he become a very strong ninja and earned the respect of his fellow villagers, he's also managed to harness part of the demon's power."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Sora asked, "demons aren't exactly the best of creatures."

"That's the understatement of the day," said Riku.

"Sora does have the general idea," said King Mickey, "the use of demonic energy for prolonged amounts of time can cause tremendous harm to the user's body. In the case of a Jinchuuriki, if enough demon energy is drawn from the source, then the host can lose control of him or herself and the demon will be in control."

"And that's what's going to happen to the ninja who has the 9-tailed Fox inside him," said Sora.

"That's one possibility," said King Mickey, "or so according to Yen Sid's predictions. But my old teacher also predicted that Maleficent has taken an interest in this unique person. The risk of losing control to the demon is one that the host has to live with every day, and it's a risk that Maleficent wishes to exploit."

"Maleficent," said Riku in a grim tone, "one of these days I'm gonna cut that witch into little pieces, then I'm gonna burn those pieces into ashes, then I'm gonna burn the ashes."

"Save a piece for me," said Kairi in an irate tone.

"I wouldn't mind a piece for myself," said King Mickey, "but moving on. There are a lot of vile people, besides Maleficent, who wish to use the host of the demon for foul purposes. Some wish to turn the boy to the darkness, make the demon take control and use it as a weapon for evil."

"I'll be Maleficent is in that category," said Sora.

"True," said King Mickey, "and then there are those who wish to take the demon from the host and harness the demon's power without it being filtered through a human body. Yen Sid has seen both these dangers in the future of the host of the demon."

"What's his name?" Kairi asked, "I'm starting to get annoyed with all of you. This person has a name, not 'the host of the demon.'"

"You're right, Kairi," said King Mickey, "he does have a name; Naruto Uzumaki."

"Naruto Uzumaki," said Sora, "I'll remember it."

"Me to," said Riku, while Kairi nodded in agreement.

"So," said King Mickey, "here's the mission: You are to go to The Hidden Leaf Village and help defend against The Heartless, while at the same time, locate and help Naruto Uzumaki. No doubt Maleficent has her agents already there doing who knows what."

"How bad could it be?" Sora asked, "Pete can't even tie his own shoes, let alone take over another world."

"It's more serious than that," said King Mickey, "Maleficent has more than my old riverboat captain at her command."

"We've reason to believe," said Queen Minnie, "That Maleficent has taken control of the former headquarters of Organization XIII, and has set herself up in their place of residence."

"That big castle where they had Kairi?" Sora asked, "That place was swarming with Heartless and Nobodies when we left."

"And surely Maleficent has taken on extra help in order to control them all," said Riku.

"It's never easy," said Sora, but then his expression lightened, "but then it wouldn't be any fun if it were easy."

"That's the spirit!" said King Mickey.

"Okay, so we're to go to the Hidden Leaf Village," said Kairi, "and help fight against The Heartless."

"While helping Naruto Uzumaki," said Riku.

"And stopping Maleficent or anyone else from taking control of Naruto," said Sora, "Anything else?"

"That's pretty much it," said King Mickey.

"Are you sure?" Kairi asked, "anyone else that we need to help?"

"That's it," said King Mickey, "I'm positive."

"Just checking," said Riku.

"Oh, how's it going with the gummy ship?" Sora asked.

"You know, that's a good question," said King Mickey, "We haven't heard from Cid in a while, so let's find out."

In one of the many rooms of the castle there was a large mirror in a mahogany frame. The King ordered several broomsticks to fetch this mirror, which they did promptly.

"With this we can communicate directly with nearly every world in our universe," said Queen Minnie, "Including Traverse Town and Radiant Garden."

"Cool," said Riku, "What about Earth?"

"Unfortunately no," said King Mickey, "Not yet anyway. This mirror is part of a large set; one of each is located throughout the universe. More can be made, but it takes time to create a magic mirror."

"Okay," said Sora, "we can wait for one. So how do they work?"

"Simply stand in front of the mirror," said Queen Minnie, "Say the name of the person you wish to speak to, that person's address and planet of residence."

"And I'll be able to talk to Cid with this?" Sora asked.

"You betcha," said King Mickey, "Cid already has a mirror in his workshop on Radiant Garden."

"Okay then," said Sora as he stood in front of the mirror. From up close the mirror looked more like rippling water, with only a vague reflection of Sora looking back at him.

"Uh…" Sora hesitated.

"You have to say it clearly," said King Mickey.

"Right," said Sora, "Cid's Workshop, Radiant Garden." The ripples in the mirror pulsed a few times before clearing. Sora could now see the interior of a futuristic mechanic shop.

"Uh…hello?" said Sora, "Anyone there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," said a gruff voice at the other end of the mirror, "Just give me a second, will ya," two seconds later a tall man wearing a white shirt, blue pants with a wide tan belt, short blond hair and blue-gray eyes with a set of goggles on his forehead. Protruding from his mouth was a long toothpick, "Who's there? What do ya want?"

"Cid!" exclaimed Sora, "It's me, Sora!"

"Sora!" said Cid happily, "Long time no see. How've you and your pals been?"

"We've been fine," said Goofy as he and Donald stood next to Sora in front of the mirror.

"Fit as a fiddle," boasted Donald.

"Good to hear," said Cid.

"How's Leon, Yuffie and Aerith?" Sora asked.

"They're fine," said Cid, "Unfortunately they're not here right now. I'll be sure to tell them you asked about them."

"That's great," said Sora, "Hey, Cid, how's it going with the gummy ship?"

"Not good," said Cid in a serious tone, "she's proving to be one tough puzzle to put back together. We fix one problem, another pops up. Sorry, Sora, but it looks like it'll be a bit longer before we can get the gummy ship up and running again."

"Really?" said a disappointed Sora, "How bad could it be?"

"Bad enough," said Cid, "You really put the ship through the ringer when you went up against that Dreadnaught. Another battle like could have destroyed the ship."

"I thought it just needed a tune-up," said Sora, "I didn't know things were that bad."

"Well it is," said Cid, "It's so bad that if Chip, Dale and myself can't fix it, we'll have to build a new gummy ship from the bottom up. In fact, that may just be better."

Just then from the background over on Cid's end, came Chip's voice, "No! This goes, there, that goes there!"

"You mean here?" Dale asked. There was the faint sound of something metal being plugged into a socket.

"No!!" exclaimed Chip, "Not there!!"

BANG!!

From behind Cid came a few wisps of black smoke.

"What was that!?" a shocked Sora asked.

"Umm…" said Cid, "Nothing. Don't worry about the ship, Sora, everything's gonna be fine."

"No!!" exclaimed Chip, "Don't cross the yellow wire with the red one!!"

"Which one?" Dale asked.

BANG!!

More black smoke drifted past Cid as he hastily spoke, "Sorry, Sora, you're breaking up. I'll talk to you later!" With that the image returned to the rippling water.

"Oh," said Sora in a deflated tone.

"You okay, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"I really liked that gummy ship," said Sora.

"This must be like when someone loses their first car," said Riku, "give him a while, he'll be alright."

"I'm fine," said Sora, "really, I am."

"Are you sure?" Donald asked.

"Wouldn't want you des-tracted while fightin' them Heartless," said Goofy.

"I'm fine," insisted Sora, then spoke in a teasing manner, "I'm more worried about you guys."

"You don't have to worry 'bout me," said Goofy as he brought out his shield, a slightly larger version than the 'Save the King' model. Sora could tell that this version packed quite a punch.

At the same time Donald displayed his latest wizards' staff; it resembled the 'Save the Queen' model, but a bit longer and looked like it had twice the magical capacity of earlier versions.

Several broomsticks then brought in the usual supplies: potions, ethers and other status-restoring items that our heroes would need on their mission.

"Looks like you're all set," said King Mickey. He and Queen Minnie then opened a portal, "This will take you directly to The Hidden Leaf Village."

"Where we'll make contact with Naruto," said Sora.

"Help him defend the village against The Heartless," said Kairi.

"While making sure that Naruto doesn't lose himself to the darkness," said Riku.

"Consider it all done," said Donald.

"We'll be back in no time," said Goofy.

"I know you'll do your best," said Queen Minnie, "good luck, all of you."

"We don't need luck, your majesty," said Sora as he smiled confidently, "We were born lucky!" With that he, Kairi, Donald, Riku and Goofy entered the portal, which closed up behind them.

"Well I still wish them luck," said King Mickey, "they're sure to need it."

"I'm afraid you're right," said Queen Minnie.

********

….The World That Never Was…

Deep within the castle that was once the headquarters of Organization XIII, now renamed New Hollow Bastion, the self-claimed Mistress of all Evil sat on her throne of solidified darkness. With her green-orbed staff on her right hand and her pet raven perched on her left shoulder, Maleficent turned her yellow eyes on the newcomers to her domain.

Kneeling before the throne were seven dark souls, four males and three females, all in their late teens, each cloaked in shadows so that only their outline could be seen. Clustered around the walls of the room were dozens of Heartless in various types, as well as a handful of various foul creatures that Maleficent was fond of using. Standing to one side was Maleficent's loyal crony, Pete

"I give to you," said Pete, "Oh great and terrible Maleficent, the first of many loyal servants of the darkness."

Maleficent eyed the newcomers with greater intensity, "These are the best you could find, Pete?" she asked.

"Well…I…err…" stammered Pete as he nervously wrung his hands, "it's not like you gave me a whole lot of time to look. But I can assure you, they're the best at what they do."

"We shall see about that," said Maleficent as she stood up from her throne. She descended the steps to the floor and bade the seven to stand. "Not everyone can claim to serve the darkness, and very few of those are strong enough to even attempt to master it. Already I have hundreds of thousands of Heartless at my disposal, and it is only a matter of time before I learn the secret to controlling Nobodies. But what I desire most of all isn't mindless slaves.

"I seek those who possess imagination, those with ambition, those who are willing to do what is necessary to plunge all of existence into the darkness where it belongs. You seven are here because you possess all three qualities. But the question remains; can you prove yourselves in the long run?"

"Great one," said one of the male newcomers, "Allow me the chance to prove myself. Give the command, and I shall plunge any world you desire into everlasting darkness."

"A bold statement," said Maleficent, "come forward a bit."

The shadowed one did so, allowing his features to be illuminated by the torchlight. He was tall, about 5'11" with shoulder-length black hair. He had pale red eyes over a slightly orange completion. He wore a black and red leather martial arts outfit underneath yellow and black warlock robes. He looked no older than 18.

"What is your name?" Maleficent asked.

"Ulrik, oh Great One," said the boy, "Ulrik Darkclaw."

"Well, Ulrik Darkclaw," said Maleficent, "you shall have your chance to prove yourself. There is a world that I have begun a Heartless invasion. This world, while full of conflicts of one form or another, has had little if no exposure to The Heartless until now. You are to go there and give direction to The Heartless.

"While there, I also wish of you to make contact with any local villains, any new minions would be welcome. But most important, there is a specific human I wish to be secured and brought to me, alive. Bring to me the host of the 9-Tailed Fox demon; bring to me Naruto Uzumaki!"

"To what purpose?" one of the shadowed girls asked, "I know this world you speak of, it's full of Shinobi. True, they've never seen anything like The Heartless before, but any group of Shinobi can be a match for even the strongest of Heartless. To what purpose will one of them be to you?"

"Shut up, little girl!!" spat Pete, "nobody talks that way to Maleficent, nobody that lives that is."

"Oh yeah?" the girl asked as she stepped forward, revealing a girl about 17, height 5'3" with long purple hair down to her waist, dark violet eyes and a pale complexion. She wore a black jacket over a green tank-top with a blue skirt and black boots. She carried the air of a dark-magic user who was used to getting her way.

"You want to make something of it, kitty-cat?" the girl asked in a taunting manner.

"Kitty-cat!?" exclaimed Pete, "Why I oughta! I'm gonna mess your face up!"

"Bring it on, fur ball!" said the girl as she prepared to cast a dark spell, while Pete readied himself to pummel the insolent girl.

"Be silent!!" said Maleficent, her voice magically amplified so it nearly deafened the humans and Pete, while sending the heartless and vile critter observers scurrying out of the room.

"Now," said Maleficent in her normal voice, "there's no reason we can't be civil. You," she pointed her staff at the human girl who dared to speak out of turn, "what is your name."

"Erika," said the girl as she stared back at Maleficent in a defiant manner, "Erika Bloodstorm."

"I'm sure your name matches your mannerism," said Maleficent, "Yes, I'm quite sure you will find yourself most useful here." she then looked at the five others in the shadows, "you will all find your purpose here," then looked back at Ulrik, "as for you, the reason why I desire the host for the demon is simple.

"This Shinobi, Naruto Uzumaki, he lives every day with the risk of losing himself to the darkness. I intend to make sure that his struggle is lost, and that he succumbs to the darkness in a manner I choose. He will make an excellent Heartless, and, assuming all goes according to plan, a most worthy Nobody."

"But what about the demon?" Pete asked, "That many-tailed fox thing is supposed to be the strongest of its kind. How are we ever gonna control it?"

"You underestimate me yet again, Pete," said Maleficent, "I will have the means to bring the creature under control once it has been brought to my prescience."

"It shall be done, oh mistress of all evil," said Ulrik. He bowed and exited the room, leaving the other five disciples in the shadows, and a flustered Erika standing there with Pete.

"I'll bet that he totally messes up," said Erika.

"I'll take that bet," said Pete, just out of spite.

"You're on," said Erika as she walked towards the door.

"I did not give you leave, Erika," said Maleficent, "if you are to serve the darkness, you must learn to respect your betters."

"Listen, lady," said Erika in an insolent tone, "I'm only here so I can find better opportunities to bring pain and suffering to helpless innocents. If I find out that I won't be able to do that here, I'm gone. But if I can, then I'm at your disposal."

"Indeed you are," said Maleficent, "when the time is right, when the opportunity for your talents presents itself, I will call on you for your services, Erika."

"Groovy," said Erika as she walked out of the room.

"That little punk!" snapped Pete, who looked like he was on the verge of a tantrum, "someone ought to teach her some manners!"

"Obviously you are not that person," said Maleficent.

"I'm not?" a confused Pete asked.

"Despite her insolence and lack of respect," said Maleficent, "I find that I like this girl, Erika. She has spirit, unlike the other inhabitants of this world," she referred to the dozens of Heartless and fiends that had gathered along the walls again.

"But what about the other one?" Pete asked, "Ulrik, you really think he can pull this off with the demon host?"

"That, I cannot foretell at this time," said Maleficent, "for now we shall watch and wait. Patience has always been a virtue of mine."

"What'cha want me to do?" Pete asked.

"It seems that you are of little use here for the time being," said Maleficent, "go, Pete; go with Ulrik to the Hidden Leaf Village. I have a feeling that a certain trio of meddling brats will soon be involved."

"Them Keyblade Punks!" said Pete, "I'll pulverize them!"

"See that you do," said Maleficent.

**The end of chapter 1.**

Sora: Alright! A new world to explore!

Kairi: And new friends to meet!

Riku: And new types of Heartless to fight.

Goofy: Gawrsh! I hope they're not too tough.

Donald: We'll be fine!

Naruto: You won't be so confident when you see just what you'll be up against.

Riku: We'll just see about that. Wait, who are you?

Naruto: I'm the guy you're gonna meet soon.

Sora: Next chapter…Kuni, Shuriken and Keyblades

Kairi: Be sure to leave lots of great reviews!


	2. Chapter 2: Kuni Shurken & Keyblades

The portal opened up on a sunlit road with trees on both side, spilling Sora out onto the road, with Kairi falling on top of him. Donald then fell onto Kairi, with Riku falling onto Donald, and Goofy landing on top of Riku. The portal closed up after they were all safely fallen onto the ground.

"Why does this always happen?" complained Donald as the five travelers got up from underneath each other and dusted themselves off.

"Wish we had the old gummy ship," said Goofy.

"Me to," said Sora. There had to be a better way of traveling from one universe to another, one that didn't involve having ones friends falling onto you. Sora did miss the old gummy ship, the vessel that carried him and his friends to so many worlds was by now lying in pieces on the floor of Cid's garage. This didn't do much to help Sora's mood, but then he remembered that if there was anyone who could fix the gummy ship, it was Cid.

Sora and the others then noticed that they were not far from a large stone wall that obviously surrounded the village they had come to visit. They were half a mile from the open gates of the wall, so, nothing to do but move forward.

**Chapter 2: Kuni, Shuriken and Keyblades**

"Wow," said Kairi as they passed through the village gates, "This is a really nice place." The buildings had a rustic Japanese atmosphere with a mixture of modern and antiquated themes.

"Hard to believe that such a beautiful place is home to some of the greatest warriors ever," said Riku.

"Ninjas are people too, you know," said Sora.

_(*)Konogakure(*)_

_The Hidden Leaf Village_

"I wonder what Naruto is like?" Goofy asked.

"If he's anything like the demon locked inside of him," said Riku, "Then we're in for one wild ride."

"If we ever find him," grumbled Donald, already impatient despite how early in the day it was.

"You've found him," said a voice from behind our heroes. Sora and the others turned around to see a teenage boy about his age or so; tall with bright, spiky blond hair and dark blue eyes and whisker-like marks below his eyes. He wore an orange and black jacket with matching range pants and open-toed boots. Tied to his forehead was a headband with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"They're not from around here, that's for sure," said a girl's voice. Sora and the others turned around again to see a teenage girl about Kairi's age or so. She had pink hair and bright green eyes. She wore a red sleeveless shirt with lavender elbow guards and black gloves, as well as a lavender skirt over dark biker shirts and boots. The symbol for the village was on a red headband that served as a hair band, accenting the girl's rather wide forehead.

"They're definitely not from here," said the girl, "I'm not even sure they're Shinobi."

"We're not," said Sora.

"Well then what are you?" the boy, asked, "And why are you looking for me?"

"That depends," said Riku, "assuming you are the one we're looking for."

"Don't say anything, Naruto!" said the girl, "The less these strangers know, the better."

"Sakura!" whined the boy, Naruto, "Why'd you tell them my name!?"

"Why did _you_ just give them _my_ name!?" snapped the girl, Sakura.

"We come in peace," said Kairi in a placating tone, "honestly. We just want to talk to you, Naruto, that is, if you are Naruto Uzumaki."

"That's me alright," said Naruto, "And you are…?"

"I'm Sora."

"And I'm Kairi."

"Riku."

"Thu' name's Goofy."

"Donald Duck."

"Nice to meet you all," said Sakura after a round of handshakes, "But what brings you to our village?"

Just then the air was filled with several shouts and cries of terror.

"That's probably why," said Riku. From around the corner scurried at least a dozen Shadows.

"Those things again!" said Naruto as he and Sakura assumed fighting postures.

"You've dealt with Heartless before?" Kairi asked.

"Heartless?" Naruto asked, "That's what those things are called?"

"Well whatever they are," said Sakura in an angry tone as she pulled out a pair of throwing knives, kuni knives, "They're not hurting anyone on my watch!" she threw the knives at two Shadows, destroying them. A third tried to attack a nearby civilian, but it was destroyed by a shuriken throwing star that Naruto threw.

This got the attention of the remaining Shadows in the group, as well as two more groups of Shadows, and a squad of Soldiers.

"Nice to know that you're appreciated," said Riku as he, Sora and Kairi summoned their Keyblades, while Goofy and Donald pulled out their weapons.

"What kind of swords are those?" Sakura asked.

"They're Keyblades," said Sora as he slashed at and destroyed two Shadows, then sliced a Soldier into oblivion.

"Cool, huh?" Kairi asked after taking out a Shadow.

"You think that's cool?" Naruto asked as he smiled eagerly, "Check this out!" his hands moved in a complicated set of positions, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" there was a large burst of smoke, and where one Naruto stood, there now was five.

"Get them!" shouted the middle Naruto, which Sora assumed was the real one. All five Naruto's charged at the rampaging Heartless and began destroying them via throwing knives and stars, as well as through kicks and punches that had a lot of power behind them.

"Nice left," said Riku after watching a Naruto punch clean through the back of a lumbering Large Body.

"You should see my right," said the Naruto, but then he was one second too slow to prevent a Shadow from slashing him on his side. Then something weird happened, even weirder than normal; the clone of Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What the…?!" exclaimed a stunned Riku. This unexpected event left such an impression on Riku, he failed to see the two Soldiers scampering behind him until it was almost too late. Fortunately he recovered just in time to blast the two Soldiers, as well as four more Shadows with his Dark Aura.

"Should I be worried?" Sora asked as he, Donald and Goofy watched two more of the Naruto copies disappear after getting smashed by another Large Body.

"I don't think so," said Goofy. Sora saw whom he again assumed was the real Naruto form another six copies of himself, then another six when more Heartless appeared.

"Wow," said an impressed Donald.

"How many copies of yourself can you make?" an amazed Sora.

"At a time or all together?" the real Naruto asked, "'cause I really don't know my limit. I guess the most I've ever made in one shot was 1,000."

"A thousand Naruto's," said Goofy as he began counting on his fingers, after smashing another three Shadows with his shield of course, "I'd need another twenty hands to count that high."

"You need a lot more than that, ya big palooka!" said Donald as he swatted a Shadow aside with his staff, then cast a Thunder spell on a squad of Soldiers.

Kairi was about to stab at one Soldier, when Sakura got behind the creature and ripped it in half without breaking a sweat. Sakura then destroyed at least a dozen Shadows with only six punches; each attack completely obliterating its intended target, while the force of the punch destroyed the Heartless next to it.

"How can you be so strong?" Kairi asked after throwing a Strike Raid at a leaping Soldier.

"Looks can be deceiving," said Sakura after kicking another Soldier into oblivion, "I'll tell you all about it later."

It was a minute or so later when it seemed that the battle was over; no more fresh Heartless had appeared in the street.

"I think we've seen the last of them," said one of the Naruto's, there were still five copies alongside the original.

"Don't be so sure," said Riku, "with The Heartless, it's never really over."

As if to prove his point, a large teleportation rift appeared above the street, and from it fell several large pieces of purple metal that looked all too familiar to Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"Oh not this thing again!" said Donald as the metal pieces picked themselves up, revealing them to be a pair of metal legs and boots, a pair of metal arms, a helmet and armored torso, the chest plate engraved with the crest of The Heartless.

"Reminds me of Traverse Town all over again," said Goofy as the metal pieces assembled themselves into the form of a Guard Armor.

"Now what?" Naruto asked.

"Now we duck!!" exclaimed Sora as he, Kairi and Sakura barely got out of the way as the Guard Armor tried to stomp them. The giant metal Heartless them tried to smash Sakura with its left gauntlet. Sakura managed to deflect the attack with a well timed punch, but to her dismay, the counter strike sent the metal hand spinning in the air, then realigned itself with the rest of the metal creature.

"What is this thing?!" Sakura asked as she ducked under another swiping metal hand.

"It's one of the first big Heartless I faced," said Sora, "It's not indestructible, just very tough."

"Then we'll just have to be tougher!" said Naruto as he made his hand signs again, "Multi Shadow-Clone Jutsu!!" this time about fifty copies of Naruto appeared, "Attack!" shouted the real one as the assembled Naruto's charged at the Guard Armor.

The metal Heartless stomped and smashed the first ten Naruto's before they could get close, but the remaining forty managed to grab hold of the creature's limbs, weighting them down so the Guard Armor's movements were hindered.

Sakura then picked up a large piece of a nearby building that was damaged during the fighting, "Take this!!" shouted Sakura as she threw the chunk of masonry at the Guard Armor. It hit the creature in the helmet, knocking the headpiece off the rest of the body, which collapsed into its individual pieces. Several of the Naruto copies were destroyed in the crash, but most got out of the way.

But then the arms and legs began moving about on their own, smashing and stomping the majority of the surviving Naruto clones.

"I got it!" said both Sora and Kairi at the same time, but Sora was first to react. The charged at the legs of the Guard Armor, lashing out with rapid slashes and cuts with his Keyblade that resulted in their destruction.

**Keyblade technique: Ars Arcanum**

Sora then jumped up and hit both arms once, landed on the ground, then fired off several energy bolts from his Keyblade, each bolt hitting the arms until they blew up.

**Keyblade technique: Ragnarök**

But that still left the head and torso; the helmet realigning itself with the midsection and the two pieces rose back into the air.

"Careful!" shouted Sora, "it can still do a lot of damage!" Sure enough, the torso of the Guard Armor fell on several of the Naruto copies, destroying them. Less than a dozen of the copies were left, and these were in turn destroyed when they tried a counterattack that resulted in them getting squashed flat.

"Then we'll just have to do more damage to it!" said the real Naruto. He and one more copy were about twenty feet behind Sora; the real Naruto holding out his left hand while the copy was doing something with his hands. Sora watched as a swirling sphere of blue energy formed between the hands of the Naruto's; energy that, Sora assumed, The King called Chakra.

"What are they doing there?" Riku asked.

"Something really cool," said Sakura.

By now the sphere of Chakra was the size of a baseball. The two Naruto's then charged headlong at the Guard Armor, which promptly fell on them. But when the metal torso reared back up, everyone, except Sakura, was surprised to see two slightly splintered logs embedded in it's chest plate above and below the Heartless crest.

"What just happened?" Kairi asked.

"Must have been a trick or somethin'," said Goofy.

"A Substitution Jutsu to be exact," said Sakura.

"But where did they go?" Donald asked.

"Right here!!" shouted both Naruto's as they emerged from a concealed position right in front of the Guard Armor. The metal Heartless had no time to react as the two Naruto's ran at it; the real Naruto jumped onto the shoulders of the copy, then jumped higher, the copy disappearing afterwards.

"Rasengan!!" shouted Naruto as he slammed the sphere of Chakra onto the Heartless crest of the Guard Armor. He then fell back and landed on both feet as the Chakra sphere tore its way inside the metal creature, then detonated with a blue flash.

"Is it over?" Naruto asked, for the torso piece still hovered above the ground

"Almost," said Sora.

The torso hovered for a few seconds more before falling to the ground, then vanished in a puff of black smoke, and from that smoke, emerged a red crystalline heart that soared up to the heavens.

"Now it's over," said Sora.

"Okay," said Sakura, "I'll be the first to admit it; that was one wild battle." She then noticed that Naruto and Sora were looking at her, "what? What is it?"

"You've got red on you," said Naruto as he pointed at Sakura's left shoulder, which liked to be bleeding pretty bad.

"Oh," said Sakura as she noticed the cut.

"That looks like it hurts a lot," said a concerned Kairi as she walked next to Sakura. The cut didn't look that deep, but it was wide enough to be bleeding profusely.

"It does," said Sakura, "but one of the things about being a Shinobi is dealing with pain. Don't worry about me, I've got this."

"I insist that I help," said Kairi. She placed her hand on Sakura's arm, below the cut. A bright white light shone from Kairi's hand; the light then passed to Sakura's shoulder. Within seconds the cut was completely healed.

"You're a healer?" a surprised Sakura asked.

"I guess so," said Kairi, "I only found out I had this power a few weeks ago. I'm not all that good at it though; I can handle small wounds at will, but I'm still having trouble with bigger injuries." Kairi had been able to control her new power to a small degree since she, Sora and Riku had been at home. It used to be that her magic would exert itself instinctively, which still does most of the time, but she's trying.

"It takes time to become an accomplished healer," said Sakura, "believe me, I know, and my Sensei can back me up on this."

"Oh yeah," said Naruto, "Granny Tsunade can back you up on a lot of things, Sakura."

"You know, Naruto," said Sakura in an annoyed tone, "One of these days, _Lady_ Tsunade is gonna break your head open. You really shouldn't be so casual with the Hokage."

"Your teacher is the leader of the village?" Sora asked.

"That's right," said Sakura as she smiled with pride, "And I'll be happy to take you to her."

"That'd be perfect," said Riku, "We've got a lot to talk about."

It was then that Sora, Riku and Kairi all had the same feeling that something bad was about to happen. This was another aspect of their emerging powers, that they could sense when one of them would sense that the others were in danger.

"Riku, Kairi," said Sora in a slightly nervous, but ready for action manner.

"I sense it to," said Riku, while Kairi nodded in agreement.

"Sense what?" Naruto asked as he and Sakura each drew out another kuni knife. The two Shinobi then looked up, "Duck!!"

"Yes?" Donald asked, just in time to be pulled to the ground by Riku, while Sora and Kairi tackled Goofy. A fraction of a second later several black shuriken slashed through he air just where the five travelers stood. The throwing stars stuck in the ground barely an inch from Sora's face.

"Where'd those come from!?" Sakura asked, for she and Naruto had seen the throwing stars coming towards Sora and his friends, but didn't see exactly where they were thrown from or who threw them.

"There!!" shouted Naruto as he pointed to the roof of a building, where a dark shape had jumped out of sight a second before.

"Now what?" Donald asked.

"Probably an enemy Shinobi," said Sakura as she and Naruto took up defensive postures again, "look sharp!"

More shuriken came down at them. Sora and the others managed to dodge them barely and made it to cover. But then more of the black throwing stars flew at them from behind. Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy managed to get out of the way, but one of the shuriken hit Kairi in the shoulder, forcing her to the ground.

"Kairi!!" shouted Sora as he tried to run to her, but Riku stopped him.

"Don't!" Riku said, "you might get hit as well."

"But…Kairi," said Sora.

"She's fine," said Naruto, "Sakura's got her." True enough, Sakura had helped Kairi to her feet and they both had taken cover behind a stack of firewood.

It was then that the dark shape jumped down from the rooftops and landed in the street in front of Sora. It resembled a Neo Shadow that was more strongly built, a bit taller and with slightly longer limbs. The big difference was that this Heartless wore a black ninja outfit and had the crest of The Heartless on a forehead protector. Strapped to its back was a black sword.

"Where do they come up with these things?" Donald asked.

"Maybe this Heartless was a ninja before," said Goofy.

"You're probably right," said Riku.

Just then the new type of Heartless, which Sora and the others would later call Oniwanban, began throwing black shuriken at Sora and Riku at an incredible rate. It seemed to have no limit as to the amount of throwing stars it could carry.

Riku and Sora managed to block most of the black shuriken with their Keyblades, but a few got past their defenses, scratching them a few times. But then one shuriken hit Riku in the leg, causing him to lose his balance and drop his Keyblade.

Donald and Goofy rushed in to help, but the Oniwanban threw a pair of black pellets at them. The pellets released large clouds of black smoke that left Donald and Goofy coughing and unable to see.

"How exasperating!" said Donald between bouts of coughs.

With only Naruto and Sora left standing, the Oniwanban attacked Sora first, drawing its black sword and aiming to stab Sora in the heart.

Sora blocked the lethal blade and tried to counterattack, but the creature kept up its attack. It was all Sora could do to keep up with it.

But then Naruto came running at the Oniwanban and kicked it in the head, sending it flying down the street towards three waiting Shadow Clones, who then kicked as one and sent the creature up into the air, where one more Clone, (or was it really the real one, Sora didn't know) kicked the Oniwanban in the head again, sending it slamming to the ground.

"Uzumaki Combination!!" shouted the real Naruto.

By now the smoke had cleared, allowing Donald and Goofy to see what was going on, while Riku was back on his feet again.

Yet to everyone's angst, the Oniwanban was also starting to get back up again.

"Oh for crying out loud!" said a thoroughly irked Naruto, "what's up with these things!?"

"Maybe they're…whatchamacallit…industrial," said Goofy.

"That's indestructible," said Donald in a slightly annoyed tone.

By now Riku was back in full fighting condition, and before the Heartless could attack, Riku chopped its head off with his Keyblade. The severed head and the rest of the body dissolved into black smoke, while from that smoke a small red crystal heart emerged and faded away as it rose into the air.

"Indestructible my eye," said Riku.

"You feelin' alright, Riku?" Goofy asked.

"I'll live," said Riku. The cut on his leg he received from the black Shuriken had stopped bleeding and wasn't that deep, but there were other dangers that Riku didn't take into account for.

"You really should get that looked at," said Naruto, "those shuriken could be poisoned."

"Well I feel fine," said Riku, though he was beginning to feel nervous at the mention that he could have been poisoned.

"Well fortunately we have at out disposal one of the best healers in Konogakure," said Naruto, "Hey! Sakura! You've got a patient!"

"I'm a little busy right now, Naruto," said Sakura, "he'll have to get in line." Sakura was sitting behind Kairi, her hands placed above where Kairi got hit with a black shuriken. From what Sora saw, Sakura's hands were glowing bright blue, and the energy from this glow was healing Kairi's cut.

"Kairi!" said Sora as he rushed over, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Sora," said Kairi, "or I will be really soon. I think I can learn a thing or to from Sakura here."

"You're not so bad yourself," said Sakura as she finished up her work, "it looks like you're a natural Healer, like me. But where you're doing it without actually thinking, I had to learn it the hard way, big time. There, all done." The cut was completely healed with no sigh of any scaring.

"Well maybe we can learn from each other," said Kairi. It was clear that the two girls were becoming fast friends.

While Sakura healed Riku, with Kairi watching, Naruto and Sora were talking.

"These things, these Heartless," said Naruto, "why are they attacking out village? What did we do to them?"

"It's noting you did," said Sora, "it's just what Heartless do. They were ordinary people once, until their hearts, their spirits, were consumed by darkness. What was left was an empty shell that had only the instinctive urge to seek out other hearts and turn them into more Heartless."

"Heartless also seek out the hears of worlds to they can plunge those worlds into darkness," said Riku, "that's another reason why The Heartless are here; to destroy your world and create more of them."

"And they also want you, Naruto," said Kairi, "they want to make you into one of them. Heartless also seek out really strong people who possesses incredibly strong hearts. If such people are consumed by darkness, then the resulting Heartless will be incredibly powerful in turn."

"But why me?" Naruto asked, "I'm a great ninja, more than great. My dream is to be the best, to one day be Hokage of the village, then everyone will respect me. But I don't see why these Heartless want me? I'm not dark, I'm good."

"We know you are," said Sora, "but it's more than your heart that The Heartless want."

"It's the other thing inside you that they want," said Riku, "or, at least, the one controlling them wants it."

"The demon," said Sakura in a quiet tone, "The 9-Tailed Fox."

"Just what I needed," said an annoyed Naruto, "another group of baddies after the demon."

"Who else is after the 9-Taield Fox?" Kairi asked.

"It's a long story," said Naruto.

"We'll explain along the way," said Sakura, "I think it would be best if you were to talk with the Hokage."

"Yeah," said Naruto in a brighter tone, "Granny Tsunade will know what to do."

"I've told you not to call Tsunade-Sensei that!!" exclaimed Sakura angrily, "how many times do I have to tell you, Naruto!?!"

"When you got it, you got it," said Naruto as he eagerly grinned.

"You really are a hopeless knucklehead," sighed Sakura.

"You get the feeling that we're in over our heads?" Sora asked as he, Kairi, Riku, Donald and Goofy followed Naruto and Sakura through the village.

"We've been over our heads since the darkness first came to our world," said Riku, while Kairi nodded in agreement.

Unknown to our heroes, they were being watched from afar. Perched atop the village walls were Pete and Ulrik, each looking at our heroes through binoculars.

"I don't see what the big deal is about the blond kid," said Pete, "sure, he's strong, but is he really the kind to have a really evil demon inside him?"

"Your lack of perspective is astounding," said Ulrik, "I fail to understand why Maleficent ordered you to accompany me at the last minute."

"The boss lady said I'm to help you," said Pete.

"I highly doubt I'll be in need of assistance," said Ulrik, "especially from you. But since you're here, I'll explain the situation with Naruto Uzumaki:

"The demon has only a miniscule influence on its host. Naruto's pure heart will make him a target for our forces, but not just yet. If we were to attack with just Heartless, especially with the Keyblade Wielders at hand, then we would surely lose."

"Well what do you want to do?" Pete asked.

"Maleficent said that there were dark souls on this world that we can make use of," said Ulrik, "so, let's go make some allies." With that they left the walls.

The end of chapter 2.

Sora: That new type of Heartless was really tough.

Riku: Makes you wonder what they'll throw at us next.

Kairi: I'm more curious as to meeting the Hokage.

Sakura: You'll like Tsunade-Sensei, she taught me everything I know about Healing.

Naruto: That's not all she taught you.

Sakura: Just what are you implying, Naruto?

Naruto: Well where else did you get your monstrous strength?

Sakura: (very angry) Naruto!!! (punches Naruto in face)

Naruto: (whining) Sakura!

Riku: you're right, Sora, we're in over our heads.

Kairi: Next chapter…Hidden Leaf Heroes

Goofy: Be sure to leave lots of resumes!

Donald: That's 'reviews,' yah big palooka!


	3. Chapter 3: Hidden Leaf Heroes

**Before we get started, I Just want you to know that i have changed some parts of Naruto and Kingdom Hearts in order to make this story work out. If you don't like what i've done, it's alright, you're free to hate it, and if you hate what i've written, don't read it. But temember, THIS IS FANFICTION!!!**

Tsunade, the 5th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village turned out to be someone Sora and the gang didn't expect. Our heroes followed Sakura and Naruto into the office of the Hokage, and found a woman who was either in her late 20's to early 30's. She had long blond hair in pigtails, brown eyes with a blue diamond mark between her eyes, and a very sensual figure. She wore a green jacket over a gray shirt and brown pants and high-healed sandals.

"So, you're the Keyblade wielders everyone's talking about," said the woman, Tsunade, the 5th Hokage, as she gave Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy an appraising look.

"How'd you know about us?" Sora asked as our heroes entered the office.

"Well, what'd you expect?" Naruto asked, "this is a Shinobi village."

"Oh yeah," said Kairi, "eyes and ears everywhere."

**Chapter 3: Hidden Leaf Heroes**

"It's more than that," said Riku, "she's been watching us."

"She has?" Goofy asked as he scratched his head in a confused manner.

"Of course she has," said Donald, but then he too got a bit confused, "has she?"

"Of course I have," said Tsunade as she pointed to a crystal ball on her desk, "what, did you think this thing was just a paperweight?"

"It's not a paperweight?" Naruto asked, "all this time and it was a real crystal ball, how do you like that?"

"You really are a knucklehead, Naruto," said Sakura in an annoyed tone.

It was then that Sora, Riku and Kairi had the exact same thought at the exact same time, or rather, they shared the thought as one; 'if this is the guy who has a demon inside of him, we're screwed.'

"So," said Sora, "you saw us fighting The Heartless?"

"I did," said Tsunade, "and I liked what I saw. These creatures, 'Heartless' as you called them, they're becoming a real danger to the village."

"Any Heartless is a danger to all life and freedom," said Riku, "it just takes one to feed off the darkness in the heart of one person, then that person is consumed by the darkness, resulting in him or her becoming a Heartless."

"I believe you," said Tsunade, "already there are reports of whole towns and villages overrun by Heartless, their entire populations either killed our subverted into Heartless. At least 300 people are dead and another 200 have been turned into Heartless, that we know of."

"That's horrible!" said Kairi.

"Makes you wish we got her sooner," said Riku.

"Don't blame me!" said Donald, "I was ready to go yesterday!"

"Well I was ready tomorrow," said Goofy.

"Whatever," said Riku, "so, what about that new type of Heartless we fought today? Has that been seen before here?"

"No," said Tsunade, "that's the first time we've seen anything like that."

"Well if it's new," said Sora, "then it'll need a name. How does 'Oniwanban' sound?"

"Oniwanban," said Naruto, "I like it, it's identifiable."

"That thing did move and fight like a Shinobi," said Sakura, "I wonder how it got like that?"

"Not all Heartless are formed as Shadows," said Riku, "sometimes, if the person has a strong heart, that person becomes a strong Heartless."

"We've seen plenty of those before," said Sora, while Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Then that means," said Sakura, "that Heartless we fought, that Oniwanban, it must have been a Shinobi, back when it was human."

"But how could any Shinobi become a Heartless?" Naruto asked, "that just doesn't make sense."

"Not all Shinobi are good people, Naruto," said Tsunade, "you know that."

"Like I'll ever forget," said Naruto, "but what can we do about it?"

"Well first we need to find where The Heartless are coming into this world," said Kairi, "and then stop any more from coming through in large numbers."

"More importantly," said Riku, "we need to find this world's Keyhole."

"'Keyhole?'" Naruto asked.

"It's basically the heart of the world," said Sora, "if The Heartless gain control of it, then they'll be able to overwhelm the world with darkness. We need to find the Keyhole and lock it so the world will be safe."

"And most importantly," said Kairi, "we need to protect you, Naruto. We need to make sure that the baddies don't get their hands on you."

"If The Heartless manage to contaminate you with the darkness," said Riku, "you could wind up as one of those really strong Heartless. Or worse, the demon might get out of you. Or even worse, the enemy could take control of the demon."

"I'm guessing that would be bad," said Naruto.

"You ain't kidding," said Sakura.

"Well it's obvious then," said Tsunade, "we'll have to find the source of The Heartless and stop them there, while at the same time ensure that Naruto doesn't succumb to the darkness."

"We'll do all that we can to help," said Sora, "That's what we're here for."

"And I'm sure that you'll do your best," said Tsunade, "Sakura, Naruto, I want you to work with our guests in defending the village against The Heartless, while locating and destroying the source of Heartless into this world; that is your mission."

"We won't let you down, Tsunade-sensei," said Sakura as she bowed to the Hokage.

"Yeah," said Naruto in an eager tone, "we'll get the job done, Granny Tsunade!"

"I told you not to call me that!!" snapped Tsunade as she shot up from her desk and gripped the edge, her face twisted with annoyed anger, "I swear, Naruto, one of these days, I'm gonna cut you into little pieces, you're such a pain in the neck!"

"What can I say?" Naruto asked as he grinned, "when you got it, you got it, believe it!"

"I think we'd better get started," Kairi said in a hasty tone, as if sensing that things were about to get ugly.

"Couldn't agree more," said Sakura. She then saluted the Hokage, "We won't fail you, Lady Tsunade." With that Sora and the gang also saluted, and they exited the office.

Outside, Sakura then unloaded upon Naruto, "When are you gonna grow up, Naruto!? I thought three years on a training mission would at least pound some sense into you, but you're still the same knucklehead as you were before!"

"And you haven't changed a bit either, Sakura," said Naruto, "but you don't see me complaining."

"Looks like these two have history," said Kairi.

"You mean they're boy and girl friends?" Goofy asked.

"Huh?" Sakura asked, "oh, not, Naruto and I, we're not a couple."

"Wish we were," said Naruto, "but what's done is done. Besides, Sakura's heart belongs to someone else."

"Really?" Kairi asked, her interest agitated, "may I ask who it is?"

"It's complicated," said Sakura in a distant tone, as if dredging up painful memories, "very complicated."

"Well if you don't want to talk about it…" said Sora.

"No," said Sakura, "I'll talk about it, but not now. Later, when we have some time."

"We've got more important things to do," said Naruto, "like figuring out where the source of The Heartless is. Sakura, we're gonna have to choose."

"Choose what?" Donald asked.

"Not what," said Sakura, "who; we've got a lot of friends who can help us on this mission. The hard part is picking who to come with us. In this kind of mission, the fewer the teammates the better, so we'll be able to move faster. All Naruto an I need to do is pick who can best help the mission succeed."

"We'll need a tracker," said Naruto as he counted on his fingers, "two would be better, a weapons specialist, a fighter, and I know a certain super-smart shirker who could really help."

"That's assuming we can get his lazy ass in gear," said Sakura.

"He'll come," said Naruto, "once I've explained that this is a priority mission from Granny Tsunade."

"Stop calling her that!" exclaimed Sakura, "honestly!"

"Why do you keep calling the Hokage a granny?" Kairi asked, "It's not like she's that old. In fact, she's probably not even old enough to be my mom."

"Oh she's older than that," said Naruto, "a lot older, believe it."

"How old?" Sora asked.

"Sora!" exclaimed Kairi, "you never ask a woman her age."

"I was just curious," said Sora in a slightly sheepish tone.

"She's the same age as my mentor," said Naruto, "I think Pervy Sage said he was 53, so that makes Granny Tsunade 53 as well."

"What's her secret?" Kairi asked. She was both annoyed at Naruto's thick headedness, as well as curious as to the subject.

"Chakra control," said Sakura, "you already know that chakra comes from stamina. Well, with the right amount of chakra control, you can do just about anything."

"Like walking up a wall," said Naruto, and he did just that. He walked up the corridor wall and onto the ceiling, "or stick to the ceiling," he then jumped down to the floor, "in Granny Tsunade's case, she can prevent herself from aging."

"It's more than that," said Sakura, "and stop calling her that!"

"Why do you keep calling the Hokage that?" Sora asked.

"Because I know she doesn't like it," said Naruto as he grinned eagerly, "and it makes her crazy."

"What else is it to Chakra, Sakura?" Kairi asked, sensing that she needed to stop things before Sakura got so upset at Naruto's pestering that she hurt him.

"Well," said Sakura, "chakra can be used to heal as well as perform attack Jutsus. With Lady Tsunade, she can use healing Jutsus to promote cellular regeneration so she doesn't age. She's really incredible. She taught me everything I know about healing, as well as how to use chakra control to enhance physical strength."

"I've seen that," said an impressed Kairi, "talk about girl power."

"You got that right," said Sakura as she smiled brightly.

"So, Naruto," said Sora, "who do you have in mind that can help us?"

"I've already said that Ive got plenty of friends here in the village who can help," said Naruto, "but we can't take them all with us. Like what Sakura said, the fewer on the mission the better. But I think I've figured out who can help us the most."

A few minutes later our heroes were outside in a courtyard with Naruto and Sakura, waiting for the rest of the Shinobi whom Naruto picked for the mission. He introduced them as they arrived:

The first to show up were two people; a teenaged boy and a very large dog. The boy was about Naruto's age and slightly taller with spiky brown hair, brown eyes and red triangle marks below said eyes. He wore a black ninja outfit, while around his forehead was the same headband and symbol that Naruto wore. Sora could sense a strange yet friendly personality from this person, like he was part dog himself.

The dog was the largest canine Sora and his companions had ever seen, big enough for two people to ride on his back comfortably. He had shaggy white fur with brown patches on his ears. Sora and the others could sense an incredibly strong bond between this dog and his obvious human master.

"Kiba Inuzuka and his Nin-dog Akamaru," said Naruto.

"So you're the guys from another world," said Kiba Inuzuka as he shook hands with Sora and the others, "everybody's talking 'bout how you and Naruto took out those creepy critters."

"Heartless, Kiba," said Sakura, "they're called Heartless."

"Yeah, Heartless," said Kiba, "and that big metal thing, that was incredible."

"Of course it was incredible," said Donald in a smug tone, "we're heroes."

"Junior heroes," said Goofy in a correcting tone.

At this Donald grumbled in his usual manner, until he noticed that Akamaru was looking at him, "what? What are you looking at?"

Akamaru growled softly, but not in a menacing manner. It was more like he was speaking in his own fashion.

"He says that he's never seen a talking duck," said Kiba, "and that your outfit is really weird."

"What did you say?!" exclaimed Donald.

"You have to admit," said Kairi a she tried to hold back a sudden fit of giggles, "you do look strange, Donald."

"Yep," said Goofy.

But then Akamaru looked at Goofy and said 'and what's with what you're wearing?' This caused everyone to laugh, except for Donald and Goofy, but then after a few seconds Goofy to started laughing.

At this Donald glared at Akamaru, "why don't you pick on somebody your own size!?"

Akamaru responded by saying something that Kiba translated as 'I am your size.' True enough, Donald and Akamaru were just about head to head. This lead to everyone laughing, even Donald.

At that time the second person our heroes were waiting for showed up, a Kunoichi, or female ninja. She was about Sakura's age and a little bit shorter, with long black hair done up in twin buns. She had large friendly brown eyes and wore her village symbol around her forehead like most everyone in Konogakure. The girl wore a white shirt with very wide sleeves and black pants and boots. Strapped to her back was a very large scroll.

"Did I miss something?" the girl asked, "what's so funny?" she then looked at Donald and Goofy, "oh," then she started laughing.

"This is Tenten," said Naruto once everyone had calmed down enough to have a conversation, "our weapons expert. Tenten, these are the guys who helped us against those Heartless things.

"Then it's true," said Tenten looked at Sora, Riku and Kairi with admiration, "you three really have Keyblades?"

"See for yourself," said Riku as he summoned his Keyblade, while Sora and Kairi called forth theirs.

"Incredible," said Tenten as she looked at the three Keyblades with stars in her eyes. Said eyes then focused on Sora's Keyblade, the blue version of Ultima Weapon, "may I…?"

"Oh, yeah," said Sora, "sure," he handed his Keybalde to Tenten, whom then held it like it was the Holy Grail or something.

"Magnificent," said an awestruck Tenten as she examined the Keyblade from various angles, "Is it true that a Keyblade can only be used by it's chosen wielder?"

"Maybe," said Sora as he idly held out his hand, causing his Keyblade to vanish from Tenten's hands and reappear in his.

Sora expected to see Tenten surprised at this small aspect of the Keyblade, but instead Tenten looked really excited, as if she were about to go see the latest Boy Band concert.

"That's our Tenten for you," said Sakura, "always crazy about weapons."

"What kind of weapons?" Goofy asked.

"All kinds," said Tenten as she admired Goofy's shield, "swords, knives, spears…you name it, I've used it at least once, and I probably have it on me."

"Okay," said Kairi in a daring tone, "a Claymore."

"One second," said Tenten as she took the large scroll from her back and unrolled it, bit her thumb, smeared a drop of blood onto the scroll, and with a puff of smoke, she was holding a Claymore sword.

"Cool!" said Kairi.

"With this I can summon any weapon I've used," said Tenten as she caused the sword to vanish back from where it came from, "Any kind of sword or bladed weapon I've touched. I've also got thousands of knives and Shuriken in here, seven types of bows, several thousand arrows, twenty types of spears, and fifteen types of war clubs."

"Like I said," said Kairi, "cool."

"It'll get boring soon enough," said a bored voice. Sora and the others saw a Shinobi the same age or so as Naruto, with black hair tied back so it stuck out at the back and brown eyes. He wore a green utility vest over a black shirt and pants with matching black boots. His expression matched his tone of voice; boredom.

"And here we have Shikamaru Nara," said Naruto, "the laziest Shinobi in the village, and with the most amount of time on his hands."

"Time I could be spent on better things," said Shikamaru, "all these Heartless creatures attacking the village, people being turned into more of those creeps, while I could be fishing, or just looking up at the clouds. This whole this is such a drag."

"Well the sooner we save your world," said Riku in a mildly sarcastic tone, "the sooner we can have you looking at the clouds again, whatever makes you happy."

"Oh, this one knows how to use his words," said Shikamaru in a slightly surprised tone, "he may just be the one who can help us."

"Hey, what about us?" Donald asked.

Shikamaru then looked at Donald and Goofy in an appraising manner, "you, I'm not so sure about," he then looked more closely at Goofy, "and I'm definitely sure about this one."

"Those are my friends you're talking about," said Sora.

"You badmouth them," said Kairi, "you badmouth us all."

"Are you threatening me?" Shikamaru asked.

"No," said Kairi, "but I'd like to see if you've got what it takes to back up your words."

"Well why didn't you say so already?" Shikamaru asked, "attack me, if that's what you want."

"Huh?" Sora asked, "you want to spar? Right now?"

"Why not?" said Sakura, "we won't be going anywhere until we find out where we have to go to stop The Heartless, so why not spar? It'll give everyone a chance to see what everyone's got."

"Now you're speaking my language," said Riku, "so, who wants to get their ass handed to them first?"

"We'll take you on," said Kiba as he and Akamaru stretched for the fight to come, "but the only one getting his ass handed to him is you."

"I wouldn't underestimate Riku so easily," said Kairi.

"What about you?" Tenten asked in a daring tone, "Are you the kind of person who is easily underestimated?"

"In your dreams!" said Kairi.

"Well I guess that leave you and me," said Sora to Shikamaru.

"Just you?" Shikamaru asked. He then sighed in a disappointed manner, "and here I thought I would get some excitement today. Oh well…"

"We'll show you excitement!" said Donald as he drew forth his staff, while Goofy brought out his shield.

"I think the three of us can handle a shirker like you," said Sora.

"They won't last a minute," said Sakura to Kairi, "thirty seconds if they're lucky."

"If there's one thing you need to know about Sora," said Kairi, "is that he was born lucky."

"Alright then!" said Naruto, "we'll make this a three match tournament! Riku vs. Kiba and Akamaru, Kairi vs. Tenten, and Sora, Donald and Goofy vs. Shikamaru. Standard tournament rules; the fight goes on until one fighter is unable to continue, either by knockout, injury or general submission. No hitting below the belt, eye gouging and no ear pulling."

"What about biting?" Riku asked as he cautiously eyed Akamaru's particularly vicious looking teeth.

"Biting is allowed if it's part of your style," said Sakura, "but if you happen to have 'special' abilities, you can use those as well."

"Fair enough," said Riku as he already planned out blasting his opponents with a couple of Dark Aura shots.

They drew lots to decide which match would be first. Kairi's fight would up first, then Riku's, and Sora's match as last.

Sora, Naruto and the others stood at the sidelines of the courtyard, while Riku faced off with Kiba and Akamaru in the middle. Riku had his Keyblade already at hand, while Kiba had a knife in one hand and three shuriken in the other. Akamaru stood beside Kiba.

"Ready…!" said Naruto, causing the fighters to take up their stances, "…begin!"

Kiba started off by throwing the knife and shuriken at Riku, who easily blocked the projectiles with his Keyblade, only to find more incoming blades being thrown by Kiba. All of these Riku easily blocked, but then he discovered that the knives and shuriken were just distractions to allow Akamaru to get behind him.

Akamaru would have tackled Riku to the ground, but Riku had cast his Dark Shield, blocking the huge dog. Akamaru slammed into the shield and lost balance, but quickly recovered. Kiba and Akamaru then began circling Riku from ten paces away. Riku was forced to switch his attention between both fighters, unaware of whom would attack next.

"I get it," said Sora, "or I think so. Kiba and Akamaru are trying to confuse Riku."

"That's one of a Shinobi's greatest weapons," said Sakura, "distracting the enemy for a minute, even a few seconds, could turn the course of a battle in your favor."

"Don't count Riku out yet," said Kairi, "us Keyblade wielders, we're full of surprises."

"So is Kiba," said Naruto. At that instant, Kiba threw several purple pellets at Riku. They exploded around him, producing a large purple smokescreen. His vision obscured, Riku knew he had only seconds to react to an attack from any direction.

"I can't see what's happening!" said Sora, for the smokescreen had blocked the view of the battle from everyone.

But then the wind cleared the smokescreen from the courtyard, revealing Riku on the ground with Akamaru on top of him, one clawed par firmly on his chest, the other at Riku's throat. But then Sora and the others saw that Riku's Keyblade was aimed directly at Kiba's throat, who was standing over Riku with a knife raised.

"What happened?" Donald asked.

"Who won?" Goofy asked.

"Kiba and Akamaru did," said Sakura, "or just Akamaru. Had this been for real, Akamaru would have killed Riku, but Riku would have taken Kiba with him."

"She's right," said Naruto.

"Good match," said Kiba as Akamaru got off of Riku. He held out his hand to help Riku up. Riku took it.

"Good match," said Riku as he and Kiba shook hands, "a very good match," he then rubbed Akamaru on the head, who then licked Riku's hand in respect and friendship.

"I think those guys are going to get along," said Naruto.

"I agree," said Kairi.

"Looks like we're up next," said Tenten.

"Wish me luck," said Kairi as she and Tenten took to the field.

"Good luck!" said Sora, Donald and Goofy.

Kairi and Tenten then faced each other in the middle of the courtyard, "Let's make this interesting," said Tenten, she then unrolled her scroll and used it to call forth a large collection of weapons, "pick any three, and I'll use just those."

"Any three?" Kairi asked as she looked at the weapons. All of them looked extremely deadly in the hands of an expert, and Tenten looked to be just such an expert.

It took a minute or so for Kairi to decide on three weapons that look the lest threatening; a long staff made of white oak, a wooden club and a wooden practice sword."

"Good choices," said Tenten as she rolled up her scroll, thereby vanishing the rest of her weapons, then stuck the sword and club in her belt and held the staff in her hands, "no sharp edges to deal with. But even blunt edges can hurt."

"You'll have to make contact with me first," said Kairi as she summoned her Keyblade. Both she and Tenten took up their fighting stances.

"Ready…!" said Naruto, "…Begin!"

Kairi and Tenten charged at each other. At first Kairi was on the offensive, with Tenten blocking Kairi's Keyblade with her staff. But then Tenten attacked, using the length of her staff to her advantage, attacking outside Kairi's range of striking back.

But then Kairi got into position to deliver a critical hit, which Tenten blocked with her staff, but the force of Kairi's attack was strong enough to break the staff in half.

This however didn't slow Tenten down at all, for she now used the two halves of the staff as short swords. Kairi now had to defend against two weapons at twice the speed as before.

"You can do it, Kairi!" shouted Riku.

"Show them who's the best!" shouted Sora.

This reenergized Kairi's confidence. She then made it look like she had tripped and lost her balance, but it was a ploy to get Tenten to come closer. The Kuinochi realized her mistake too late to prevent Kairi from disarming her.

But then Tenten pulled out her war club and swatted Kairi's Keyblade out of her hands. Her hands still smarting from the club attack, Kairi had to dodge several more swipes of said club, before she had a chance to summon her Keyblade back into her hands, then smacked Tenten's club out of her hands.

Tenten then jumped back and brought out her wooden sword. The fight was now a sword duel, with both Kairi and Tenten fighting on equal terms.

"This looks like it could go on for a while," said Goofy.

"Maybe," said Sakura, "and then, maybe not."

Sora guessed that Sakura was implying that Tenten had something up her sleeves, and such wide sleeves at they were they had to be hiding something.

Holding her wooden sword in one hand, Tenten drew forth several shuriken that were concealed in her sleeve and threw then at Kairi. She blocked and dodged the blades, only to find that Tenten had gotten behind her.

Using every ounce of speed and agility she had, Kairi spun around and hit Tenten on her left side, not to hard, but hard enough to make an impression. Unfortunately at the same time, or so it seemed, Tenten brought her wooden sword down onto Kairi's left shoulder right above her heart.

"Another tie?" Sora asked.

"But who won?" Goofy asked.

"Nobody, if it was a tie, ya' big palooka!" said Donald.

"It wasn't a tie," said Shikamaru in his, Sora assumed, normally bored tone, "Tenten attack was the most lethal."

"No way!" said Sora, "Kairi couldn't have lost!"

"I did, Sora," said Kairi as she rubbed her shoulder where Tenten hit her. She wasn't really hurt, but she'd be a bit sore there for a day or so, "if this had been for real, Tenten would have killed me."

"Well I'm glad it wasn't for real," said Tenten, "you're really good."

"You're not so bad yourself," said Kairi as they shook hands, "but next time we spar, I'll be the winner."

"I'll look forward to it," said Tenten. They both shook hands again.

"This tournament really isn't looking good for your friends," said Naruto to Sora.

"Then we'll just have to win the last round," said Sora as he, Donald and Goofy took to the field.

"Whatever," said Shikamaru as he idly walked out to the field, not really looking at his opponents, but rather at the clouds in the sky, "let's just get this over with."

"You're really staring to bug me!" said an annoyed Donald.

"Am I?" Shikamaru asked in an uncaring tone, "and here I thought I'd have pissed you off by now. Guess I have to try harder, and that's really going to be a drag."

"I'll show you a drag!" said an angry Donald. He was about to rush headlong at Shikamaru, except that Sora and Goofy were there to hold him back.

"We can't fight yet!" said Sora as he and Goofy nearly lost their hold on Donald.

"We gotta wait for tha' fight to start!" said Goofy.

This calmed Donald down enough for Sora and Goofy to let go, but he glared angrily at Shikamaru, who was idly picking at his ear.

"Ready…!" shouted Naruto.

"Ready," said Sora as he called forth his Keyblade.

"Willin'," said Goofy as he hefted his shield.

"And able!" said Donald as he held his staff at the ready.

Shikamaru just stood there looking at the clouds.

"…begin!" shouted Naruto.

"Get him!!" shouted Donald as he, now, charged headlong at Shikamaru, leaving Goofy and Sora standing behind. Shikamaru still stood there, unconcerned that an irate wizard duck was coming for him.

But then Sora realized that Shikamaru was up to something, something that would leave Donald looking very foolish. "Donald!" shouted Sora, "don't!"

Unfortunately Donald didn't hear Sora's warning until it was too late. Right in midstride, Donald froze up, unable to move at all, but he could shout, "Hey! What's the big idea!?!"

"What just happened?" Kairi asked, "what made Donald freeze up like that?"

"I'd tell you," said Naruto, "but that would spoil the surprise."

It was then that Sora noticed the unusually long shadows on the field, real shadows, not the Heartless, that were connecting Shikamaru and Donald.

"He can control his shadow!" said Sora.

"Took you long enough to figure it out," said Shikamaru.

"I don't get it," said Goofy as he scratched his head.

"Great," sighed Shikamaru, "just what I wanted to do today; explain things. Okay, here's how it goes; with Chakra control, I can manipulate my own shadow to interact with other peoples shadows. I can immobilize my enemies," he pointed at Donald, "I can ensnare them," he made a few hand movements, and his shadow then wrapped around Donald, trapping the even angrier duck, "and even make them do what I want."

Shikamaru then unwound his shadow from Donald, but their shadows were still connected, "I can make them walk," he forced Donald to take a couple steps forward, then backwards, "and knock themselves out," he then made Donald bash himself on the head with his staff. Shikamaru then released his shadow from Donald's, whom then collapsed to the ground.

"Satisfied?" Shikamaru asked.

"There's just one thing wrong with that," said Sora, "you may be able to control your own shadow, but I've got magic!" he then cast a Heal spell on Donald, reviving him.

"What happened?" Donald asked.

"He used his shadow on you," said Goofy.

"Well how do you like that?" Donald said.

"It is kind of cool," said Sora, "but we shouldn't underestimate him." he then drew his companions together to have a hushed palling session, "Donald, Goofy, I don't think he can use that shadow trick on all of us, so if we attack at the same time, we can beat him then."

"Okay, Sora," said Goofy, while Donald nodded in agreement.

"And don't let his shadow touch yours either," said Sora, "if he can make us knock ourselves out, he can also make us attack each other."

"He won't get me twice!" said Donald.

"Are you gonna talk all day?" Shikamaru asked, "or are we gonna fight?"

"We'll fight alright!" said Donald.

"Just give us a minute!" said Sora.

"We'll be ready in no time!" said Goofy.

"So, what's the plan?" Donald whispered.

Sora had to about this. It was clear that he, Donald and Goofy had underestimated Shikamaru, whom apparently was a lot smarter than his mannerism appeared to be. The question was, how do you outsmart a person who could be way smarter than you?

"Okay," said Sora, "Donald, you hang back and provide some covering magic, while Goofy and I will try to get behind him."

"No problem," said Donald.

"Can do," said Goofy.

"Right," said Sora. He then faced Shikamaru, "now we're ready!"

"About time!" said Shikamaru. He took up a fighting stance, but then looked at Sora in a surprised and concerned tone, "I don't mean to be rude, but one of those Heartless things is behind you."

"Huh!?" exclaimed Sora. He turned around to see one of the new Heartless types, an Oniwanban, about to stab him in the back.

"Sora!!" shouted Kairi.

The Oniwanban was milliseconds from stabbing Sora, when something green and very fast came running out onto the courtyard, jumped up and kicked the Heartless in the head.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!!"

The Oniwanban slammed into a nearby tree with enough force to self-destruct, leaving behind a Heartless-shaped dent in the tree.

It took Sora a few seconds to realize that he was alright. The shock off what happened passed, and he saw the newcomer who had saved him; another Shinobi about Naruto's age and height, but that's where the similarities ended. The newcomer wore a single piece green spandex suit with a Shinobi utility vest, the village symbol used as a belt buckle on a red belt. His calves were adorned with orange legwarmers. His hands and forearms were wrapped in fighting tape. The newcomer had dark, friendly eyes that were overflowing with eagerness, black hair cut in a bowl, very thick eyebrows and very white teeth that gleamed in the sunlight.

"Looks like I got here just in time," said the newcomer.

"We've been waiting for you, Bushy Brows," said Naruto, "what kept you?"

"I was deterred," said the newcomer, "I'm sorry, Naruto, but I had a few personal things to attend to before out meeting here." He then looked at Sora, "are you alright? That thing was about to get you."

"I'm okay," said Sora, "that was amazing how fast you took down that Heartless. But who are you?"

"Of course," said the newcomer as he grinned eagerly, his teeth sparkling, "how rude of me not to introduce myself," he then jumped up and kicked two incoming Wyverns, landed behind Sora and punched three Neo Shadows. This happened in less than three seconds, and the five Heartless were destroyed.

"I am the Handsome Devil of the Hidden Leaf Village!" shouted the spandex wearing Shinobi as he then kicked and punched four Soldiers into oblivion, then whirled around to grab and throw a Large Body up into the air, then jumped up to kick the oversized Heartless in the back, destroying it.

"I am otherwise known as the Taijutsu Green Beast!" he landed and then punched and kicked six Shadows, destroying them. He then landed in front of another Oniwanban, jabbed it in the neck with his fingers, then grabbed it by the back of its head and smashed his knee into its face, destroying it.

It was then that Sora realized that the newcomer had taken out an entire force of Heartless all by himself, "but my real name, Rock Lee."

"Uh…" said Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy looked at Rock Lee with bewilderment and amazement, "nice to meet you."

"Did he just…?" Goofy asked.

"I think so," said Donald.

"How is it that you can move that quickly?" Riku asked.

"It's easy enough for a splendid Shinobi," said Rock Lee, "such as myself."

"Lee isn't your average Shinobi," said Tenten, "I should know, we're on the same team."

"More than average," said Kiba, "you could say he's one in a million."

"And the best part," said Naruto, "old Bushy Brows did all that while wearing really heavy leg weights."

"How heavy?" Riku asked.

"300lbs," said Rock Lee, "each."

"No way!" exclaimed Kairi, "no human can carry that much weight on their legs."

"I told you," said Tenten, "Lee isn't normal, even for a ninja."

"Well it's still…" said Kairi, but then she noticed that Rock Lee was looking at her like he was struck by lighting, and not the real thing. The spandex wearing Shinobi was blushing heavily and had a smitten expression on his face.

"And who is this enchanting creature?" Rock Lee asked.

Kairi hesitantly introduced herself.

"Kairi," said Rock Lee. He then ran up to Kairi and bent down to one knee, "Ms. Kairi! I would be your eternal servant, if you would bestow your favor upon this humble warrior!"

"Oh not again!" said Kiba, while Akamaru growled in an annoyed tone.

"Every time he sees new a pretty face," said Shikamaru, "it never fails."

"You'll have to forgive Lee," said Tenten in a placating tone, "he's sort of girl-crazy."

"More like psychotic," said an annoyed Sakura, "I should know, I've experienced his 'admiration' first hand."

"Hey, Bushy Brows!" shouted Naruto, "I think Kairi is spoken for!"

"She is?" Rock Lee as he jumped back up, "and pray tell who is the lucky man?"

"That would be me," said Sora in a voice that was both angry and nervous; angry that this newcomer was hitting on Kairi, and nervous at the idea that Rock Lee would want to fight over Kairi.

But Rock Lee wasn't in the mood to fight. Rather, he eagerly shook Sora's hand. "It's good to know that Ms. Kairi is in such good hands."

"I do my best," said Sora. But then he, Riku and Kairi all sensed the same thing; big trouble coming.

"There's another of those Heartless things here," said Kiba as he and Akamaru sniffed the air, "I can smell the awful thing. But where is it?!"

"I can sense something big!" said Sakura as she and everyone looked around for any sign of the danger, "but I can't see it!"

"There!" exclaimed Sora as he shot a Fireball from his Keyblade at the telltale ripple in the air that was situated on the roof of a nearby wall. The Fireball hit the Stealth Sneak, disrupting it's cloaking ability for a few seconds, which was enough for Donald to cast a Thunder spell.

The chameleon-like Heartless was hit head-on by the spell and it fell off the roof onto the courtyard, where Riku and Kairi both threw Strike Raids at it, while Goofy threw his Shield, and Sora cast a Blizzard spell. The combined attacks delivered enough damage to destroy the Stealth Sneak before it caused any further chaos.

"Was that a Heartless?" Naruto asked.

"Heartless come in all shapes and sizes," said Riku.

"If they can get that big…" said Shikamaru in a totally serious tone.

"They can get a lot bigger," said Sora, while Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Then there's no time to waste!" said Rock Lee, "we must find where the Heartless are coming into the world and stop them!"

"That's what we're waiting for, Bushy Brows," said Naruto, "we can't go looking for the source until Granny Tsunade comes back with the information on where we need to go."

"I told you to stop calling me that!!" raged Tsunade as she threw a very large boulder at Naruto. It hit Naruto, causing him to disappear in a puff of smoke, revealing that Naruto had switched places with a Shadow Clone at the last possible instance, saving himself.

But then Tsunade threw a baseball sized rock at a part of the wall, hitting the spot where Naruto had concealed himself with a simple Genjutsu illusion. The rock hit Naruto on the head, breaking the illusion, "Oww! That hurt!!"

"Not as much as it will hurt if you keep calling me 'Granny!'" said Tsunade. The Hokage then calmed down to deliver the news, "we've found out where The Heartless are coming into the world." She then showed Sora and the others a map of the area, including the village and everything else within twenty miles.

The map had one spot marked with a black X, about 100 miles from the village, separated by a large forest.

"That's where you'll find the source of The Heartless," said Tsunade.

"Then that's where we'll go," said Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Count us in!" said Naruto, while Sakura, Tenten, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru nodded in agreement.

********

Unknown to our heroes, they were still being watched by Ulrik and Pete. But this time they were far away from the Hidden Leaf Village. This time they were right at the source of Heartless into the world.

"They'll be coming here soon," said Ulrik as he watched Sora and Naruto through a small crystal ball he held in his hands.

"I don't get why you just waisted a bunch of Heartless on those punks," said Pete.

"Once again your lack of imagination astounds me," said Ulrik, "I wanted to see just what those Shinobi are capable of. I've already images of Sora and his companions, and I've also seen the boy with the demon inside of him, as well as his pinked-haired friend. I wanted to see what the other Shinobi could do."

He then focused the crystal ball on Rock Lee, "unfortunately I was only able to tune in in time to see this one, the one with the freaky eyebrows. However, I believe I will be able to gather enough force to destroy them all, once our guests arrive."

"Then you're still gonna do it?" Pete asked, "you're gonna ask for help from the local baddies?"

"Maleficent did order me to recruit any potential Villains who could further our cause," said Ulrik, "and I have no desire to disappoint the Mistress of all Evil, if only for my sake."

**The end of chapter 3.**

Naruto: Alright! Setting out to stop The Heartless!

Sakura: Don't get too excited, Naruto. We have to find them first.

Riku: That's the thing about Heartless; they usually find you before you find them.

Sora: All the more reason to stop them before anyone else gets hurt.

Donald: Yeah!

Goofy: Yep!

Kairi: But this time we're going to need more than what we already got?

Sora: What do you mean?

Sakura: She means I'm going to show you what it is to be a Shinobi

Naruto: Next chapter, 'Sakura's Guide to Chakra.'

Sora: Be sure to leave lots of reviews!


	4. Chapter 4: Sakura’s Guide to Chakra

"This is…really…getting…annoying!" panted Sora as he, Kairi, Riku, Donald and Goofy ran as fast as they could to keep up with Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, Kiba, Akamaru, Tenten and Rock Lee.

One of the things that was annoying Sora was the fact that while he and his friends were running on the ground through the woods, Shikamaru having told them that cutting through the forest to the source of The Heartless would save time, Naruto and his fellow Shinobi were jumping from tree branch to tree branch, the trees in the forest were that thick that it was possible.

The other annoying thing was that while Sora and his friends all felt like they were running a marathon, even though it had only been ten miles, Naruto and his friends looked like they weren't even breathing hard. Even worse, the Shinobi were at least twenty strides ahead of Sora and his friends.

**Chapter 4: Sakura's Guide to Chakra**

"I don't know…how much…more I can…keep this…up!" gasped Kairi.

"Don't be…a whiner…Kairi," heaved Donald, "this is…nothing!"

"We've ran…worse!" said Goofy.

"Like…when?!" Kairi asked.

"You won't…catch me…complaining!" said Riku. He then exerted more speed, pulling ahead of the group so that he was in the lead on the ground.

"If you…can take it…so can…I!!" exclaimed Sora. He began running faster. Soon he was ahead of Riku, but by only a few inches. Riku then pulled ahead, so he was in the lead by a nose, but then Sora got ahead again, then he fell behind again, then got ahead again.

"You boys!!" shouted Kairi, "always…showing off!!" she then ran faster, leaving Donald and Goofy behind. Before anyone knew it, Kairi was head of Riku and Sora by at least three strides.

But then Kairi tripped on an exposed root, falling to the ground and rolling over her head. Riku and Sora were going too fast to stop, resulting in them tripping over Kairi. Donald and Goofy also failed to stop, creating a five person pileup on the forest floor.

It was then that Naruto noticed what happened to Sora and his friends. Naruto signaled to his fellow Shinobi; they turned around and jumped down from the tree branches.

"You guys alright?" Naruto asked.

"Couldn't be…better," said Donald as he, Sora, Riku, Kairi and Goofy tried to get back up, but they were all worn out from the running. So they all sat down to rest.

"This is as good a place to stop I guess," said Shikamaru in his usual bored tone, "might as well recharge our stamina while we can, we're going to need it before too long, what a drag."

"Is there anything you don't find a drag?" an annoyed Tenten asked, "just answer me that."

"I like looking at clouds," said Shikamaru, "and I like playing Shogi and other strategy games."

"The life of the party," Naruto remarked to Sora and the others.

"How can…they do…that?" Sora gasped as he and his friends struggled to regain their breath, "run…for so…long without…getting tired?" True enough, Naruto and the other Shinobi looked like they were ready for another ten mile run.

"They're…Shinobi," said Kairi, "what did…you expect?"

"What I don't get is how you guys are so out of breath so soon," said Rock Lee, "you've fought and defeated countless Heartless, but simple running has left you so breathless?"

"Give us a…chance," said Riku, "we're only…human." He then looked at Donald and Goofy, who were still equally breathless, "well, mostly human."

"I don't think experience has anything to do with it," said Sakura, "well, I guess it does. But what's troubling Sora and his friends, is that we have something they don't."

"Oh really?" Kairi asked, "and what would that be?"

"Chakra control," said Sakura.

"What's thu' big deal 'bout Chakra control?" Goofy asked.

"Chakra can do a lot for you," said Kiba as he removed a few leaves that got stuck in Akamaru's fur, "it can enhance the senses, like with me; I can smell an enemy approaching a mile or more away."

"Assuming the wind is blowing the right way," said Naruto. "You already know that Chakra can be used to walk vertical surfaces," he demonstrated by walking up a tree trunk and then hanging upside down from a branch.

"And I also use it to make Shadow Clones," said Naruto as he jumped down to the ground, then another Naruto appeared next to him.

"So Chakra really is like magic," said Sora.

"I guess it can be like that," said Sakura.

"So what?" Kiba asked.

"I'm guessing," said Tenten, "that if Sora and his friends can use a form of energy similar to Charka, then they can use Jutsu's."

"That's exactly what I'm getting at," said Sora.

"So that's it," said Naruto in a slightly accusing tone, "you guys think you've got what it takes to be Shinobi?"

"Well…" said Sora, who suddenly found himself at a loss of words.

"That's not it at all," said Kairi as she stepped up for Sora, "you guys, Shinobi, you're better at a lot of things than we are."

"Darn right we are!" said a smug sounding Naruto.

"You're faster and better at stealth and concealment," said Riku, "and you can create illusions that can fool just about anyone."

"Well," said a slightly embarrassed Sakura, "we are known for that stuff."

"But we've got something you don't have," said Riku.

"Something that only a handful of people throughout time and space have been chosen to have," said Kairi.

"Keyblades," said Sora as he summoned his weapon, while Kairi and Riku did the same with theirs, "and the best part, nobody can take a Keyblade away from it's chosen wielder."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Tenten, "I'm considered an expert on weapons."

"Don't you remember what happened earlier?" Naruto asked, "Sora gave his Keyblade to you, then he took it back."

"This time I'll be ready for it," said Tenten.

"Alright then," said Kairi as she held her Keyblade out, "have a look."

Tenten carefully took the Keyblade out of Kairi's hand, "perfectly balanced," she moved it about, "there's hardly any air resistance, and it feels like it weights nothing."

"Want to see the best part?" Kairi asked in a mischievous tone. She held her hand out.

Before Tenten could react, the Keyblade vanished in a burst of sparks, only to reappear in Kairi's hand.

"That never get's old," said a grinning Sora as he, Donald, Goofy and Riku nearly started laughing at the looks on the faces of Naruto and his fellow Shinobi.

"I don't get it," said an astonished Tenten, "I had a good grip, how could it just vanish like that?"

"I guess that's magic," said Kiba.

"Sort of like a Summoning Jutsu," said Naruto once he and his friends got over the shock.

"Summonin' Jutsu?" Goofy asked.

"I'll show that one later," said Naruto, "'cause if what you said was true, about going up against more powerful Heartless, then I'll surely be using that technique. Anyway, Chakra manipulation…umm…"

"Oh brother," muttered Shikamaru at Naruto's hesitation.

"You can do this, Naruto," said Sakura, "you helped Konahamaru. Sure, I don't approve of _what _you taught him, and I still don't, but you can be a good teacher."

"Well Konahamaru was one of us to begin with," said Naruto. He then pointed at Sora and the others, "These guys are from another world where they don't even have Shinobi, not like us that is."

"That is true," said Sakura, "alright then, I'll show Sora and his friends how to use Chakra. First thing's first, take of your shoes."

"Our shoes?" Sora asked in a confused tone. He, Riku and Kairi did as they were told, but as to why they needed to be barefoot, they didn't know.

"Alright," said Sakura, "since we've established that Charka is similar to magic, what I want you to do is focus your magic, try to exert as much control over that energy as you can without actually using it."

"And how are we to do that?" Kairi asked, "I'm still kind of a beginner with all this Keyblade business."

"Think of it as light," said Sakura, "like currents of light flowing through your body."

"That's easy enough," said Sora, "I learned about magic somewhat like that." True enough, it was similar to the lessons he learned from Merlin back in Traverse Town.

Riku easily figured out what to do before Sora did. Before long his body was pulsating with a bright blue light. Sora began pulsing shortly afterwards. It took Kairi another minute, but once she figured out on calling on the energy she used in her Healing, it was easy enough to hold onto it, causing her body to pulse bright blue.

"Good," said a smiling Sakura, "that's step one. Now, keep focusing on that energy for as long as you can. Don't let anything distract you or you'll lose control."

"What kind of distractions?" Sora asked. But this proved to be the wrong thing to ask, for the blue aura faded away.

"Figures," said Riku, but then he realized his mistake too late as his blue aura dissipated.

"This could take a while," muttered Donald.

"Kairi seems to be doin' okay," said Goofy.

True enough, Kairi's blue aura was still there.

"Alright, again," said Sora, "no distractions this time."

"You'll get no complaints from me," said Riku. The two of them refocused their magic and their auras appeared again. Yet they were each only able to maintain focus for less than two minutes before a passing bird caught their attention, causing their auras to dissipate.

"This time I mean it," said Sora. He and Riku refocused their magic again, their faces twisted with looks of extreme concentration, sweat dripping from their foreheads. Yet they only managed to hold onto their auras for about 30 seconds before they lost control.

"Now you're trying too hard," said Sakura, "there's a balance to this. Kairi has found it."

All this time, Kairi was maintaining her aura, a look of serene calm on her face. She then opened her eyes and her aura dissipated as she purposely let go. The total time was over five minutes.

"Was that good?" Kairi asked.

"Very good," said Sakura, "you're a natural, Kairi."

"She sure is," said Naruto, "I've never seen anyone keep such control over their Chakra the first time. I should know, it took me twelve years to keep it up that much."

"She's adequate," said Shikamaru, "I'll give her that."

"Don't belittle her," said Kiba, "she might be just as good a Shinobi as any of us."

"You really think so?" Kairi asked.

"Had things been different," said Rock Lee, "you would have made a most splendid Kunoichi."

"What about us?" Riku asked.

"You two definitely need to work on balance," said Sakura, "but once you're past that barrier, I think you may be as strong as Kairi."

"Well we've found one thing I'm better at than you boys," said Kairi in a playful tone.

"Is that so?" Sora asked, "well then, how about this?" he then had the idea of combining an image he could really concentrate on, (seeing Kairi for the first time once they were all back home at Destiny Island) with keeping control over his magic. It worked; Sora was able to keep his aura up for over five minutes.

It didn't take Riku long to pick up on the same idea, his image was getting home again with his friends, and he had his aura up for five minutes.

"Good!" said a surprised Sakura, "very good. I'll admit it, I didn't expect you guys to pick up on it so quickly."

"They had a great teacher," said Naruto.

"Well…" Sakura said modestly as she blushed slightly.

"I'm serious," said Naruto, "one of these days, Sakura, you're going to be the head Sensei at the academy, believe it."

"You really think so?" Sakura asked.

"Absolutely," said Naruto, "Just don't pick up any of Kakashi-Sensei's habits."

"I know one habit she's picked up," said Kiba, "she and Ino, they're as big as rivals as Kakashi-Sensei and Gai-Sensei."

"Excuse me!?" Rock Lee asked in an accusing tone, "just what are you implying, Kiba Inuzuka? Gai-Sensei would never allow a rivalry to interfere with a mission, and you know it!"

"I'm just saying that Sakura should be inspired by a more even-headed Shinobi," said Kiba, "Kurani-Sensei, she's a Kunoichi to learn from."

"Could we please _not_ make this a 'My Sensei Is Better Than Your Sensei' contest?" Shikamaru complained.

"Oh, and what about your teacher, Shikamaru?" Rock Lee asked, "what about Asuma-Sensei? Wouldn't he be an inspiration to Ms. Sakura?"

"He'd wouldn't want anything to do with it," said Shikamaru.

"This looks like it could get complicated," said Sora.

"Yeah," said Riku, "best not to let it go any further."

"Sakura," said Kairi, "what next?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked, "oh, that's right, the next step. Okay, you're able to keep control over your Chakra/magic. Now, each of you pick out a tree, any tree will do."

"Like this?" Sora asked as he stood in front of a random tree, while Kairi stood in front of one to his left, and Riku to one on the right.

"That's it," said Sakura, "now, focus your aura again, while concentrating that energy on your feet. Once you've done that, I want you to walk up the tree trunks."

"You want us to do what!?" Riku asked in an exasperate tone, while Sora and Kairi had equally exasperated looks on their faces. But then he remembered that Shinobi are well adapt at walking and even running up and along walls and ceilings, and Sora and Kairi remembered as well.

"Let me show you how it's done," said Naruto, "just to demonstrate." He then ran to a tree and ran straight up the trunk to the very top and marked the top branch with a knife, all in less than ten seconds. He then jumped down.

"That was amazing!" said Kairi.

"It was amazing," said Naruto in a smug tone.

"Well I remember that it took you a whole week to get to the top of a tree," said Sakura in an annoyed tone, "you spent the first three days falling on your ass before you could even get twenty feet up the trunk."

"Well I was only twelve at the time," said Naruto in a sheepish tone, "And I still had trouble with Chakra control back then."

"You had trouble with Chakra control?" Sora asked.

"Oh man, you wouldn't believe how much trouble he had!" said Kiba in an eager tone, as if recalling extremely funny memories, "and how much trouble he caused."

"I thought we agreed we wouldn't talk about that," said Naruto through gritted teeth.

"About what?" Kiba asked in a teasing tone, "about how when everyone in our age group was making perfectly accurate Clone copies of themselves, two at a time I might add, you couldn't even make one that didn't look like a pile of crap!

"And let's not forget all the malarkey you caused with your original Genjutsu. Now that was awesome! The look on Iruka-Sensei's face when you pulled that out on him, I thought I would never stop laughing."

"You weren't laughing when he did it," said an annoyed Sakura, her anger threatening to boil over. "And don't even think about giving a demonstration, Naruto! Yes, I see the look on your face!"

"Whatever do you mean, Sakura?" Naruto asked with mock innocence.

"And I did laugh," said Kiba, "after class that is." Akamaru nodded and grunted in agreement at that.

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"Nothing!" snapped Sakura, "just walk up the trees already!"

"Okay," said Riku hesitantly. He then gave Sora and Kairi a look that said 'this girl has major issues.' Sora and Kairi nodded in agreement.

Yet, eager students they were, they focused their magic onto their feet, then walked up to the tree trunks.

"Ten silver pieces they don't even get horizontal," said Shikamaru to Kiba.

"I'll see your ten silver," said Kiba, "and raise you another ten."

"I'll see both your twenty," said Rock Lee, "and raise you another twenty, and that they get at least ten paces up."

"Deal," said Shikamaru and Kiba.

Sora, Riku and Kairi reached their trees. With looks of deep concentration on their faces, they began walking up the tree trunks. They got five paces up, when Sora's concentration failed and he fell to the ground. He wasn't hurt, but his pride was by the fact that he landed on his behind.

Riku made it another three paces before his concentration failed, causing him to fall to the ground, but he managed to make a soft landing without even a scratch.

Kairi however made it twelve paces to the lowest of tree branches. She released her concentration and stood on the branch. "I did it," said Kairi, astonished that she made it that far on her first try.

"That was superb, Kairi!" said a happy Sakura, while Kairi jumped to the ground

"For some strange reason," said Riku, "I feel very small."

"You're not alone," said Sora.

"Don't be so hard on yourselves," said Goofy, "you did great!"

"Yeah," said Donald, "you'll be better than Kairi in no time!"

"Thanks, guys," said Sora, feeling much better about himself now.

"That still leaves one question," said Riku, who was also feeling better, "Naruto, what's this original Genjutsu you made?"

"No!!" snapped Sakura, "don't you dare pull that out, Naruto! Not here, not ever!!"

"But they want to see it," said Naruto as he eagerly grinned again.

"We do," said Riku, while Sora nodded in agreement.

"Me to," said Kairi, her curiosity perked.

"Oh, alright," relented Sakura reluctantly, "but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Okay!" said Naruto eagerly as he made his hand signs, "here it comes! Sexy Jutsu!!"

There was a flash of smoke, and where Naruto stood was now a girl with long blond pigtails, the same blue eyes and whisker-like marks as Naruto, and stark naked, only a few stray wisps of smoke giving the girl a semblance of modesty. She giggled and winked at Sora and Riku seductively.

Blood spouted heavily from the noses of Riku and Sora and they nearly fainted. Kairi had a shocked and appalled look on her face.

The female Naruto giggled again, then reverted back to his normal appearance with a puff of smoke, "Oh man!" he chortled, "that never gets old!"

"You must find that very pleasing," said Sakura though gritted teeth, "well, you'll find the back of my hand very pleasing if you ever do that again!"

"I was just having a bit of fun, Sakura," Naruto said innocently.

"You two alright?" a concerned Goofy asked Sora and Riku.

"Yeah, just fine," said Riku as Goofy helped him up, while Donald did the same for Sora.

"Just fine," said Sora. He then saw that Kairi was looking at him, "what? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," said Kairi as she looked away with interference.

"What?" Sora insisted, "what is it?"

"Nothing," said Kairi again.

"Oh brother," muttered Riku, "here we go again."

"What wrong?" Naruto asked.

"A while ago, back home," said Riku, "we had this substitute teacher who was a real knockout; I'm talking a face like a goddess and 36/24/36, know what I mean?"

"Oh I know what you mean," said Kiba as he traced an hourglass figure in the air with his hands.

"I can see where this is going," complained Shikamaru, "all the boys in the class were totally focused on the substitute teacher, and all the girls were pissed that they were ignored, especially Kairi."

"Especially Kairi," said Riku, "she really gave Sora and I the cold shoulder for a while. So thank you for bringing up bad memories, Naruto Uzumaki, thank you very much!"

"How was I supposed to know this would happen?" Naruto asked.

"Try thinking for a change," said an irate Sakura, "that might just make a difference."

By now Sora had realized what he did wrong, "Look, Kairi, I'm sorry about that. That illusion Naruto pulled out, it totally blindsided me. It won't happen again."

"Are you sure?" Kairi asked in an indifferent tone.

"I'll do my best," said Sora.

"Well," said Kairi, maintaining her neutral tone, but then she smiled brightly, "as long as you try."

"Okay, they're friends again," said a still bored Shikamaru, "can we get going already?"

"The shirker is right," said Kiba, "we've stayed in one place long enough."

As if to emphasize the point, several Shadows, Soldiers and Large Bodies appeared among the trees, while branches were suddenly filled with Gargoyles and money-like Powerwilds.

"Aren't we popular today," said Riku as he, Sora and Kairi summoned their Keyblades.

"Let me handle this!" said Rock Lee as the various Heartless began converging on the clearing. At first Rock Lee just stood there, but then something happened. To Sora's senses it was as if a huge burst of energy exploded inside Rock Lee.

The Shinobi with the bowl haircut then began destroying the attacking Heartless faster than a normal human could move. If it weren't for the fact that Sora, Riku and Kairi were Keyblade wielders they would have seen nothing more than a blur. In less than a minute all the attacking Heartless were destroyed.

"What was that?" an astonished Sora asked.

"That," said Rock Lee, "is how a splendid ninja destroys Heartless." he then smiled, his whiter than white teeth glinting in the sunlight.

"Let's just say that Bushy Brows has figured out how to tap into the hidden physical potential of the body," said Naruto.

"Okay," said Kairi

"There could be more Heartless nearby," said Riku, "we should get moving."

"Finally!" said Shikamaru, "a voice of reason!"

But then three more Heartless attacked the area. These were another new type. They appeared to be Neo Shadows that had dark green bark-like skin and appendages that had root-like claws.

These new Heartless went right for Naruto, only to discover that he had switched places with one of his Shadow Clones. The clone self-destructed when the new Heartless tried to grab him. The real Naruto appeared from behind a tree and threw several Shuriken. The throwing stars hit their targets, but did little damage. Rather, it was like throwing a shuriken at a tree.

Sakura and the other Shinobi tried attacking the new Heartless, but again it was like attacking a tree, their attacks either bouncing off or sticking in their thick hides.

Donald then cast a Fireball spell at one of the new Heartless, setting the creature on fire like it was really made of wood. It ran around for a few seconds before finally collapsing to the ground, smoldering before disappearing into back smoke.

"They're venerable to fire!" shouted Sora as he to shot a Fireball at the second new Heartless, setting it on fire and destroying it.

"Just great," said Naruto as he jumped out of reach of the new Heartless, "I don't know any Fire Jutsus!" But he did have the next best thing. He pulled out a kuni knife, attached a tag with Shinobi script written on it. He threw the knife at the Heartless, the blade sticking into its torso near the shoulder in a way that it couldn't move its right arm.

The fiend tried to pull the knife out so it could have its arm back, but then the tag exploded, completely incinerating it.

"Awesome!" said Sora.

"That was pretty cool," said Riku.

"It was," said a very pleased with himself Naruto.

"Yeah, real cool, Naruto," said an annoyed Sakura, "burn the whole forest down in the middle of the dry season why don't you?"

True enough, the explosion, with the smoldering remains of the other two new Heartless threatened to start a forest fire.

"Oh," said a sheepish Naruto, "sorry."

"We got this," said Sora. He and Donald then put out the small fires with a few well placed Blizzard spells.

"Just how many different kinds of Heartless are there?" Kiba asked.

"We've seen dozens," said Sora, "and there could be dozens more that we haven't seen yet. But they do make new forms that suit them on different worlds."

"So there could be more that have adapted to our world that we haven't seen yet," said Shikamaru, the recent excitement shaking him out of his boredom, for now.

"That's right," said Sora as he pulled out his sketchbook, "here's some of the kinds of Heartless that we've faced before," he handed the sketchbook to Shikamaru.

"That new kind just now," said Kairi, "I'll need a name."

"Yeah," said Riku, "the ones back at the village, Oniwanban, that name fitted it. So this new one needs a good name."

"How about 'Woodies?'" Goofy asked.

"'Styx's?'" suggested Donald.

"I don't think so," said Kairi.

"What about 'Dryads?'" Riku asked.

"That could work," said Sora, "it is identifiable."

"Okay then," said Naruto, "those tree-like Heartless, they're Dryads."

"Can we go now?" Shikamaru asked after he finished flipping through Sora's sketchbook.

"Yes," said Sakura, "we really do need to get going, before something even nastier shows up."

"You'll get no complains from us," said Riku, while Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Then let's go already!" said Naruto. With that they all started towards the source of the invading Heartless again.

********

"Has everything been arranged?" Ulrik asked Pete. The two Villains were at the source of the Heartless incursion; a wide clearing in the middle of a forested valley.

"Yep," said Pete, "a lot of bad guys said they were commin,' though I don't trust any of 'em, 'specially those guys in them weird clothes."

"How weird?" Ulrik asked, "as weird as the coats worn by Organization XIII?"

"Naw," said Pete, "them Organization types had nothin' on these guys. Wait till you see 'em."

"I can hardly wait," said Ulrik, "anyway, our potential allies aren't due until tomorrow, which is perfect. I have an idea for a new type of Heartless that, not only will please Maleficent, it will surely give our side an edge in the corruption of this world."

"You already made two new types," said Pete, "that ninja and that tree kind. You gonna make another?"

"I just said I was," said Ulrik, "why Maleficent puts up with your stupidity is beyond my understanding."

"What Pete lacks in brains," said a familiar female voice, "he makes up for in loyalty, if not competence," there sitting on a nearby rock was Erika.

"What are you doing here?!" Ulrik demanded, "I didn't request your assistance."

"Oh yeah, like I'll ever answer a cry for help from you," said Erika scornfully as she stood up and walked over, "It was boring sitting around at the castle, so I decided to come over and see how you're doing."

"Well I was doing perfectly fine, no thanks to you," said Ulrik, "so just go away already before I make you leave!"

"You don't want me around?" Erika asked in a tone that dripped with mock injury, "okay then. I'll leave, but I won't promise that I'll stay away." Giggling like a schoolgirl, Erika teleported out.

"That little bitch is starting to annoy me," said Ulrik.

"What are you gonna do?" Pete asked.

"There's nothing I can do to her now," said Ulrik, "but mark my words, she will regret getting on my bad side. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." With that he began creating something foul.

**The end of chapter 4.**

Riku: I'll say one thing about Heartless; they've got imagination.

Sora: If you think just now was tough, wait till you see what we're going up against next.

Naruto: What? What are we going up against next?

Kairi: That would ruin the surprise. Oh, and it looks like someone else is coming to help.

Sakura: Who would that be?

Naruto: Holy Ramen Noodles! Is that who I think it is?!

Sakura: It can't be! Is it really him!?

Sora: Why are they getting all hung out about this new guy?

Goofy: Beats me

Riku: Next chapter, 'Flames of the Past'

Donald: Make sure you leave lots of great reviews!


	5. Chapter 5: Flames of the Past

"So what's it like traveling to other worlds?" Naruto asked as he kicked a Soldier out of his way, then threw a shuriken at a leaping Shadow. Or was this one of Naruto's copies of himself. Sora really couldn't tell the difference.

"It's really great in some ways," said Sora as he slashed at a Neo Shadow, destroying it, then sliced two scampering Soldiers, "you get to see new places, meet all sorts of people…"

"Present company included," said Riku as he bisected a Powerwild, then got out of the way of a lumbering Large Body and stabbed it in the back.

This was the second time our heroes had to stop and deal with an attacking group of Heartless that hour. Fortunately the sun was at its brightest for the day, providing more than enough shadows for Shikamaru to manipulate. It turns out he could merge his own shadow with shadows of inanimate objects, trees for example, and use them any way he wanted. At this time, he was using the combined shadows of the forest to immobilize half the attacking Heartless, allowing most of Naruto's Shadow Clones to destroy them without any trouble.

With half the attacking Heartless otherwise occupied, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru were able to take their time destroying the rest. This gave them an opportunity to talk while fighting without being too distracted.

**Chapter 5: Flames of the Past**

"Any other world that was especially interesting?" Kiba asked as he threw a double handful of Shuriken at a squad of Soldiers.

"There was one place were Goofy, Donald and I were underwater almost all the time we were there," said Sora, "and had to fight water-based Heartless. In order to move about in that world, Donald turned us into water-based animals."

"I was a turtle," said Goofy as he bashed a Shadow with his shield, then smashed a Powerwild against a tree, "and Donald, he was one of those whatchamacallits, an octopussy."

"That's octopus, ya' big ninny!" said Donald as he cast a Blizzard spell at Red Nocturne, then cast a Fireball at a Blue Rhapsody, then swatted his staff at a Yellow Opera. Out of all the various types of Heartless, those little hovering magic users were the most annoying.

"What were you, Sora?" one of the Naruto clones asked.

"I was a merman," said Sora as he sliced a Powerwild, then used a Gravity spell on two Red Nocturnes, "I had a tail and everything, and my tail was blue."

"You'd think your tail would be brown," teased Kairi as she slashed at two scampering Soldiers, then threw a Strike Raid at a Gargoyle, "like your hair."

"I had brown fur when I was a lion while visiting 'The Pride Lands,'" said Sora as he used a Fireball spell on a Blue Rhapsody, "while Goofy was a tortoise, and Donald was a pelican," he took a second to look at Kairi, "you'd probably be a leopard, or a tiger, Kairi."

"I am kind of a tigress," said Kairi as she gave Sora a smile before slashing a Powerwild, "and my tail as a mermaid would definitely be red. Now, what would Riku be?"

"He's probably be a wolf in The Pride Lands," said Sora, "and in Atlantica, his tail would…"

"Don't even go there, Sora!" said Riku as he shot a Dark Aura at another Large Body, "I don't mind being a wolf, but no way am I being a merman. I'd prefer to remain a biped, or at the very least a mammal, thank you very much."

"I agree," said Kiba as he and Akamaru tackled and destroyed a Defender from behind, then took out a squad of Soldiers, "I'm already as much a dog as can be, but I wouldn't want to be a fish; mammals rule!" with that Akamaru gave an affirmative bark.

"Yes," said Rock Lee as he destroyed several Powerwilds and then kicked a Neo Shadow into oblivion, "mammals rule!"

Just then a strange looking Heartless wandered onto the battlefield. It looked like a walking mushroom with a black head, wearing black robes and pale yellow eyes. It didn't attack any of our heroes, it just looked to be passing through.

"Vile abomination!" exclaimed Rock Lee eagerly as he saw the strange Heartless, "I shall destroy you! for the glory of my Sensei!"

"Wait!!" shouted Sora as he recognized this type of Heartless, "Don't!!"

"This is for you, Gai-Sensei!!" exclaimed Rock Lee as he aimed a kick at the Black Fungus. It's color turned light gray, like stone, just as Lee's kick made contact. All that happened was Rock Lee bouncing off.

"What the hell!?" a confused Rock Lee asked as he kept punching and kicking the Black Fungus.

"It's indestructible now," said Sora, "don't try to destroy it until it's color changes black again. And get away from it before it releases its poison!"

"What poison?" Rock Lee asked, just as the Black Fungus released a cloud of purple gas. Rock Lee took the full force of it. He stumbled back, coughing and nearly falling to the ground as his energy began to run out.

As it would happen, Kiba was within rage of the gas as well. He didn't get as much of the poison as Rock Lee did, but he reacted differently than Lee did.

"Oh damn!!" exclaimed Kiba as he clutched at his nose, "what is this horrible stuff!!?" He collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony as the foul gas played havoc on his enhanced sense of smell.

The Black Fungus then reverted back to its normal color. Sora, Donald and Riku then blasted it with everything they had, finally destroying it. As luck would have it, no more Heartless were appearing, ending the battle, for now.

"How vicious can these things get?" the real Naruto asked as his clones disappeared.

"Not as vicious as they can be," said Sora, "trust me, things can be worse." For luck, he rapped his knuckles on a tree.

"Everybody alright?" Kairi asked, "Anyone needing Healing?"

"I'm undamaged," said Shikamaru in his usual bored tone, as if the battle had never happened.

"I'm fine," said Sora, while Riku, Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"I'm alright," said Naruto, "but Kiba and Bushy Brows don't look so good."

Both Shinobi were by now feeling the worst of the poison of the Black Fungus; Kiba and Rock Lee's skin had turned a sickly shade of purple, while both were also severely drained of stamina. Though Kiba didn't get as big a dose of poison as Lee, he did look the worst off.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," moaned Kiba, "seriously, I'm gonna toss my lunch!" Sakura and Naruto hurried to Kiba and turned him over in time for Kiba to start throwing up into the bushes, a worried Akamaru sitting nearby waiting for his master to get better.

"I feel perfectly fine," said a groggy Rock Lee as he tried to get up, but stumbled and fell to the ground, "honestly, I'm in perfect health."

"No you're not," said Sakura sternly, she held her hand up to his face, "how many fingers do you see?"

Sakura was holding up three fingers, but Rock Lee's vision kept sliding in and out of focus, "either six or one, make up your mind, Ms. Sakura."

"Then you're not fine," said Sakura, "not fine at all."

"Worry not, Ms. Sakura," said Lee in a slurred voice, he finally stood up, but it looked like his legs were made of melting rubber, "if I cannot count your fingers, then I will walk a straight line," he managed to take three steps forward before falling flat on his face, "oh well, if I cannot walk a straight line," he rolled over and sat up, "then I will say the alphabet backwards: Z,Y,X,W,V,T,S,Q,F…J,K…I…H…Z…" he fell over and passed out.

"This is bad," said Shikamaru in a serious tone, "not like all the times he accidentally drank Sake and went into 'Drunken Boxing Mode.'"

"Well as long as they don't get any worse," said Naruto.

"They won't," said Sakura as she stood up, the blue healing energy fading from her hands, "I've just neutralized the poisons; they're not losing any more stamina, but it'll be a while before any of them can move. If I can just figure out what that poison was, I can synthesize a counteragent and get them on their feet that much sooner."

"Where's a Moogle Shop when you need one?" Sora asked, "but, we've got the next best thing," he pulled out several Hyper Potions, "one of these each should do the trick."

Just then a Bouncywild came out of nowhere and snatched the two Hyper Potions out of Sora's hands. Several more Bouncywilds bounded into the area and ran passed Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy, snatching every stamina recover item they had.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" exclaimed Donald as the Bouncywilds ran out of the area, "come back here, ya thieves!!"

Sora and the others tried to blast the running Bouncywilds, while Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru threw several shuriken at them. All of the attacks missed as the Bouncywilds teleported out with their loot.

"You'd better run, you damned dirty apes!!" shouted Kairi.

"Well that's just great," said Riku as he and the others checked their supplies. They only things that the thieving Heartless didn't take were Ethers and other magic recovery items, and Healing spells could only go so far in this situation.

"That was kind of strange," said Sora, "those Heartless knew exactly what to take, that it would seriously hurt is."

"But how did they know?" Naruto asked, "I thought you said that Heartless didn't think like normal people; that they acted on instinct mostly and obeyed simple orders."

"Someone must have a really great hold over those Heartless," said Riku, "I think we may have a new Villain on our hands."

"Well that narrows it down," said Shikamaru sarcastically.

"There's a lot of bad guys and girls out there," said Naruto, "mostly evil Shinobi, but there's a few insidious nobles and business people who would benefit from having Heartless on their side."

"Oh damn it!!" exclaimed Sakura as she checked her supply pouch, "the little bastards took all my herbs!"

"That clinches it," said Riku, "someone on this world is controlling The Heartless."

"What are we going to do about recovery items?" Sora asked.

"Go back to the village?" Donald asked.

"No," said Naruto, "it's too far," he checked the map, "and we're getting close to the source. But there is another way."

"One of the things about being a Shinobi," said Sakura, "is learning how to survive worst case scenarios. This really isn't a hopeless disaster, but I know what to do anyway." she left the area and went into the brush. A few minutes later she returned with an armful of wild herbs.

"My mom owns a flower shop," said Sakura as she carefully laid the plants she collected out on the ground, "she taught me how to identify wild plants, and Tsunade-Sensei helped me lean how to use those plants. Now, if I could just get some Kingsfoil, we'd be in good shape again."

"What's Kingsfoil?" Sora asked.

"It's a really powerful herb with superb healing properties," said Kairi, "I looked it up while back at Disney Castle; it's the main ingredient in the Potions we use. I saw some about a mile back the way we came."

"I saw it to," said Riku, "I'll go get it."

"You want some of me to go with you?" Naruto asked as he summoned two of his Clones.

"I travel faster alone," said Riku, "but thanks for the offer."

"Be careful!" said Sakura, "we don't know how many more of those things are out there."

"I always try to be careful," said Riku as he ran back the way they came.

"He always does," said Sora, while Donald, Goofy and Kairi nodded in agreement.

"Well," said Naruto, "nothing to do but wait until he get's back." He then pulled out from his bag a camping stove, a cooking pot and several packets of instant ramen, "anyone hungry? We've got chicken ramen, pork ramen, beef ramen, shrimp ramen, vegetable ramen…"

"Don't you have anything other than ramen?" Kairi asked.

"Don't bother asking him," said Sakura, "he's obsessed with ramen."

"I'm not obsessed," said Naruto as he used some water from his canteen to begin cooking a packet of beef ramen, "I like it, that's all."

********

It didn't take Riku long enough for him to find where he saw the Kingsfoil. He carefully plucked several of the precious plants from the ground, making sure that he got the roots as well, he placed them in a pouch in his belt.

Riku was about to head back to the others, when two Oniwanban appeared in front of him. He summoned his Keyblade, just as two more appeared behind him, the two more appeared, one to his left, the other to his right.

"So that's how you want to play, is it?" Riku asked as he shifted his eyes between the six encircling Oniwanban, the ninja-like Heartless had drawn their weapons; two had their swords out, two had black kuni, the last two had black shuriken.

"Alright then," said Riku, "let's play!" He suddenly vanished his Keyblade and shot a double Dark Aura blast at two of the Oniwanban, destroying one of the ones with a sword and severely damaging one with shuriken.

With the element of surprise gone, Riku summoned back his Keyblade in time to block a slash from the other sword-wielding Oniwanban, then jumped out of the way to avoid two black shuriken, then used a Dark Shield to block four black kuni.

Riku then got behind the Oniwanban he wounded and finished it off with a thrust, then parried another strike from the one with the black sword. He then avoid more kuni and shuriken, then went after the other one with shuriken, destroying it with two well placed slashes.

He then tricked the two with kuni into destroying each other by getting between them. Just as they prepared to throw their deadly knives, Riku jumped out of the way and watched as each knife hit the opposite Heartless in the throat, destroying it.

Riku then finished his duel with the remaining Oniwanban with three quick jabs and one slash that cut the offending Heartless into several pieces that dissolved into black smoke.

Riku was then startled to hear someone clapping. From behind a tree came a human wearing a yellow and black warlock robe over a red and black martial arts outfit.

"Bravo, Riku," said the human as he continued to clap, "excellently executed; I now see why Maleficent was so interested in you. It's a shame you fell out of her favor, you would have gone far in the darkness."

"I did delve into the darkness," said Riku, "but my friends helped me come back into the light before it was too late. I'm afraid you have me at a slight disadvantage; you know me, but I don't know you."

"I am Ulrik Darkclaw," said the human, "and I serve the true mistress of all evil, that's all you need to know, other than that I'm going to destroy you, Riku, you and your friends."

"If you think that'll intimidate me," said Riku as he assumed a fighting posture, "then you're sordidly mistaken."

"We'll see about that," said Ulrik, "anyway, what do you think about my creations? I'm sure you and your companions have seen plenty of my original Heartless by now."

"Oniwanban," said Riku, "and Dryads."

"If that's what you prefer to call them," said Ulrik, "then so be it; I have a creative imagination, but I was never all that good at naming things. So, were you impressed with my creations?"

"They could be improved," said Riku, "but that's bound to happen anyway; Heartless tend to get stronger on their own."

"Of that I have no doubt," said Ulrik, "but the two types you and your friends faced are nothing compared to what I just created. Behold!!" He raised his arms and two completely new Heartless appeared; they were Neo Shadows wearing black Samurai armor and carried two black katana swords.

"Like them?" Ulrik asked as the two samurai-like Heartless approached Riku with their swords drawn, "I did some research into the history of Earth, and picked the design that I liked the most. I think I'll call them Ronin. What do you think?"

"I think you have a very disturbing imagination," said Riku as he switched his gaze between the two samurai Heartless, the Ronin, as they began circling him.

"Flatter will get you nowhere," said Ulrik, "right then, let's get down to brass tax. Since this will be the first time these Heartless will be fighting, the information gleamed form them will be most helpful in my work. I'm sure Maleficent will be pleased when I create a form of Heartless that destroys her enemies. Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do; after I'm finished with you, I'm going to turn my creations on your friends, see how well they fair."

"You hurt my friends, I'll skin you alive!!" exclaimed Riku as he struggled to keep both Ronin in sight, but they kept circling him, one was always beyond his range of vision, and everyone knows it's impossible to look both left and right at the same time.

"I'm sure you'll try," said Ulrik as he smiled cruelly, "but you have to be alive to do it! Destroy him!!"

The two Ronin charged at Riku. He was easily a match for them in terms of swordsmanship, all those hours sparing against Sora back home and all his other experiences paying off. But he had to fight two equally strong Heartless at the same time, it was all he could do to keep one step ahead of them.

But then Riku stumbled on a lose rock, allowing one of the Ronin to get past his defenses and cut his leg. The other Ronin took advantage and struck Riku just below the elbow, leaving a shallow cut.

"Oh what a pity," said Ulrik in a mocking tone, "just when things were getting interesting, it has to end so soon."

"If you wanted it to last longer, then why did you make them so strong to begin with?" There sitting on a nearby tree branch was Erika.

"Maleficent demanded the best," said Ulrik as he scowled at Erika, "and I intend to deliver maximum results."

"Well you'd better pay attention," said Erika, "'cause your pets are about to win."

Ulrik scowled at Erika again for distracting him, "I loath you," he then set his sight on Riku again, who by now had been cut three more times; one on his other leg, and two on his other arm.

"This is the end of you, Riku," said Ulrik, "perhaps you regret betraying the mistress of all evil, what little good it'll do you now."

"I regret nothing!!" exclaimed Riku as he lifted his Keyblade again, prepared to go down fighting.

"So be it," said Ulrik. He gestured to the two Ronin, "finish him."

The two samurai-like Heartless closed in on Riku, their swords raised to cut his head off, when a very large shuriken came out of nowhere and sliced off the head of one of the Ronin, destroying it.

From the opposite direction came several smaller shuriken and several kuni. The Ronin deflected most of the blades with its sword and dodged the rest. But then it had to deal with a boy about Sora's age wearing a lose white shirt and blue pants and yellow sandals. He had shoulder-length jet black hair and apparently red eyes. Strapped to his back was a ninjato sword, which he drew and began dueling the Ronin.

The samurai-like Heartless was overwhelmed by the vicious onslaught the newcomer delivered. Before Riku knew it, the newcomer stabbed the Ronin in the torso, then sliced it from its right shoulder to its left hip, destroying it.

"What the f#ck!?!" exclaimed Ulrik. It was all over within twenty seconds, and even Riku had to blink several times to realize what had happened.

"I don't know who you are," said the newcomer as he pointed his sword at Ulrik, "but if you're responsible for all these creatures I've been running into today, then you're in for one raw deal."

"Ooh!" said Erika in a delighted tone, "this one is interesting."

"Shut up!" snapped Ulrik. He then glared at the mysterious Shinobi, "who the hell are you and why did you interfere in matters that do not concern you?"

"My name is for my friends and allies," said the Shinobi, "and I stepped in because it pleased me to." It was then that Riku got a good look at the newcomer's eyes: the irises were red, but with very small pupils that were surrounded by three coma-like marks that were connected by a broken black circle.

"Well I hope you'll find this pleasing!" said Ulrik. He snapped his fingers, (insert finger snapping sound) and eight Oniwanban appeared around the newcomer.

The Shinobi sheathed his sword and jumped up. The eight Heartless jumped after him. Two were destroyed by four well thrown shuriken, while another was beheaded by a quick draw of the newcomer's sword.

He resheathed his sword and made several hand signs, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!!" and he spat three fireballs at the remaining Oniwanban, destroying them. All this had happened while they were in the air.

The newcomer landed alone and redrew his sword, "is that the best you can do?"

"Now I know I like this one!" said Erika happily as she jumped to the ground.

"You affiliated with him?" the Shinobi asked as he pointed his sword at Erika.

"As if!" said Erika in an insulted tone, "this looks like an awkward moment, so I'll step out. Laters!" with that she teleported away.

"Bitch," muttered Ulrik, "I'll deal with her later," he then glared at the newcomer, "you've made a big mistake crossing me," he then glared at Riku, "and don't think I've forgotten about you, pretty boy!" with that he teleported out."

The newcomer sheathed his sword again and looked at Riku, his eyes turning dark brown, almost black.

"Thanks," said Riku, "I guess."

"Like I said," remarked the newcomer, "It pleased me to assist you."

"Well I'm glad you found my predicament to your liking," said Riku. He checked his wounds; nothing that couldn't wait until Kairi and Sakura could look at them. He also checked to see that the Kingsfoil was alright, which it was.

"I'd stay and talk," said Riku, "but my friends need this," he indicated the Kingsfoil.

"Where are your friends?" the Shinobi asked.

"Ahead that way," Riku pointed to where Sora and the others were.

"I might as well come with you," said Riku, "I was separated from my group several days ago when those things first started showing up."

"Heartless," said Riku, "they're called Heartless."

"Yeah," said the Shinobi, "anyway, I left my group to see what these Heartless were all about. Clearly they're up to no good."

"That's about it in a nutshell," said Riku.

"So," continued the Shinobi, "I might as well make sure your friends are alright, then I'll be on my way back to my team."

"If that's what you want," said Riku, "oh, I didn't catch your name."

"I never threw it," said the Shinobi, "like I told that guy who was controlling those Heartless, my name is for my friends and allies. Since we are allies," he held out his hand, "I am Sasuke Uchiha, last of the Uchiha clan."

Riku introduced himself and shook Sasuke Uchiha's hand. With that they hurried back to Sora and the others.

********

"So these Akatsuki guys," said Sora, "they're the ones who want the demon?"

"They're out to collect nine, multi-tailed demons," said Naruto, "they've got three that we know for sure. One of which used to be inside a good friend of mine. It nearly killed him when those Akatsuki bastards took the demon from him, but we saved his life," he sighed, "but it came with a price."

"Yeah, you saved him," said Kiba in a struggled tone. He was conscious, but lacked the stamina to get up, while Rock Lee had passed out, "thanks for saving the murdering psycho."

"Garra isn't the same as he was during the Chûnin exam, Kiba," said Sakura, "he's changed, thanks to Naruto."

"He's still a murdering psycho in my book," said Kiba, while Akamaru nodded in agreement.

"What kind of psyche?" Goofy asked.

"That's 'psycho,'" said an annoyed Donald.

"The kind that wouldn't hesitate to kill at the slightest provocation," said Kiba, "Garra of The Desert was, is, and always will be, a merciless killer."

"He doesn't do that anymore," said Naruto, "Garra has enough responsibilities in his village to keep him out of trouble."

"And he had his brother and sister to watch out for him," said Sakura. She looked at Sora and Kairi, "Naruto had to practically beat Garra to death in order to get some sense into him."

"Oh," said Sora.

Just then the sound of several chimes went off. "The wards!" Donald exclaimed. After Riku left to get the Kingsfoil, Donald had set up several protective wards to let Sora and the others knew if any Heartless were coming, as well as when Riku was coming back. The tone of the chimes indicated that the later was happening.

But then another chime went off, one indicating that someone, not a Heartless, but an unidentified human was approaching. Sora, Naruto and the others still standing prepared themselves incase the worst should happen

Less than a minute latter Riku came into the clearing, the trees were so thick that he just appeared out of the forest. Sora and the others relaxed somewhat.

"I've got the Kingsfoil," said Riku as he held up the plants he gathered, "and I brought some extra help." Sasuke then stepped into the clearing.

"What the…!" exclaimed Naruto.

"You!!" snapped Sasuke as he quickly drew his sword, while Naruto pulled out two kuni knives.

"Sasuke!" exclaimed Sakura in a tone that was mixed with happiness and rage. She looked like she wanted to run up to Sasuke and either embrace him or punch him in the mouth.

"Oh, you're here as well, Sakura," said Sasuke in a tone full of disgust, "I suppose I'm going to have to convince you all over again that we're over; that there never was any 'us' to begin with."

"I never gave up, Sasuke," said Sakura in a confident tone, "I still believe that there's still good in you."

"Pathetic as always," spat Sasuke.

"This coming from a traitor!" said Kiba as he tried to get up but couldn't, a kuni in his right hand and a pair of shuriken in the other, while Akamaru growled menacingly.

"Don't bother," sighed Shikamaru, "there's no reasoning with him."

"So you're here as well," said Sasuke as he looked at Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru, then set his eye on the still unconscious form of Rock Lee, "and so is the spandex freak." he looked back to Naruto, "what, you bring the whole village with you?"

"I'd bring all the Hidden Shinobi villages with me if I could," said Naruto as he glared at Sasuke, "I made a promise, and I keep my promises."

"It'll be a cold day in hell before you keep this promise," said Sasuke.

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here!?" Kairi asked.

"I'm curious as to that as well," said Riku.

"This is Sasuke Uchiha," said Naruto to Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy, "he was on the same team as Sakura and I, before he turned his back on us and the whole village, all in the pursuit of power and revenge."

"I had good reason to leave the village," said Sasuke, "my brother…" he hesitated, "you know damn well why I had to leave, Naruto, and nothing you, Sakura or anyone else can say or do can make me change my mind."

"I can beat the crap out of you," said an irate Sakura as he took a menacing step towards Sasuke, "then drag your body back to the village, it'd be no less than what you deserved after what you did to me!"

"Just you try it!!" said Sasuke. The three Shinobi; Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto, they all prepared for a fight.

"Stop!!" shouted Sora as he used his Keyblade to cast that particular spell, immobilizing the three Shinobi before they could hurt each other.

"Okay, this is awkward," said Kairi.

"What now?" Goofy asked.

"First things first," said Riku, "make sure they don't hurt each other when the spell wears off." He and Sora knew they had less than a minute before the Stop spell wore off and the three Shinobi would be able to move again, so they did the first thing that came to mind; they pushed Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke to the ground, just as the spell finished.

"What the…?" Naruto asked as he suddenly found himself on the ground for no reason.

"What happened?" Sakura asked as she found herself in a similar predicament.

"It seems that these guys are more than they seem," said Sasuke.

"Indeed we are," said Riku, "now, I'm going to help Kairi mix up the healing potions. Sakura, we're going to need your help. Sasuke, Naruto, if you don't want Sora to do again what he just did to you, I suggest that you calm down."

Sora watched as Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other, "Truce?" Naruto asked.

"Truce," said Sasuke, "for now." he walked over to the other side of the clearing and sat down, obviously in no mood for conversation.

"What's his problem?" Donald asked.

"His brother," said Naruto as he and Sora watched Riku hand the Kingsfoil to Sakura and Kairi, "Sasuke has an older brother; Itachi. Nearly nine years ago Sasuke came home one night to find his parents, uncles, aunts, the rest of his immediate family and clan, they were all murdered. I didn't see it but it was a real bloody mess, and it screwed Sasuke up for life."

"Oh," said a disturbed Sora. He reasoned that such a sight would forever torment anyone, especially a child.

"That's not the worst," said Naruto, "the murderer was Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, a respected member of the village's elite special operations group and his personal idol. Sasuke looked up to Itachi, wanting to be like him, and Itachi betrayed his family and clan, all in the pursuit of power."

"That happens a lot around here," said Kairi. She and Riku were listening to every word Naruto said.

"The worst is yet to come," said Sakura, "even though Sasuke was just a child, 6 years old at the time, he tried to fight back, but Itachi frightened Sasuke into submission. Itachi could have killed him, but he didn't, saying that Sasuke was too weak to be worth his time, and that messed him up even further."

"Sasuke later swore to become strong enough to kill Itachi," said Naruto, "the two of us were already rivals when we were put on the same team, and that made us even bigger rivals. We kept pushing ourselves to the limit to outdo the other, and we both got stronger because of it.

"But then Sasuke was forced down a dark path, a path that's given him incredible power, enough that he may just be able to kill Itachi, but it's costing him his heart, assuming he ever had one to begin with."

Sakura then looked at Sora, "after seeing and learning what The Heartless are, I'm convinced that if something isn't done, Sasuke will soon become one of them."

_As if out mission isn't complicated enough,_ thought Sora. But then, he wasn't one to ignore someone in need, "If there's anything we can do to help with him," he said to Naruto and Sakura, "just let us know." At that Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," said Sakura as she smiled, "that means a lot to me." she then held up several full vials, "the healing potions are ready."

"Will they work?" Riku asked.

"Only one way to find out," said Kairi. She handed one vial to Kiba, "this'll get you on your feet in no time."

"Okay," said Kiba, as he took the vial, "but if this doesn't work…"

"It'll work," said Sakura, "it's one of Tsunade-sensei's recipes."

"If you say so," said Kiba. He drank the potion, and less than ten seconds later he was fully revitalized and on his feet.

"That sure did it," said Kiba as he happily stretched.

"You sure you're alright?" Sora asked.

"I'm fine," said Kiba as he bent down to scratch Akamaru behind his hears. Kiba then glared at Sasuke at the other side of the clearing, "just so long as this two-faced backstabber stays as far away from me as possible."

"Just as long as you stay away from me," said Sasuke, "you and your mangy mutt."

Akamaru then let out a series of growls and barks that could be best translated as 'Mangy!? Why I ought to rip your damn head off, you bastard!'

"No one calls Akamaru mangy and get's away with it!!" exclaimed Kiba, "let's get him boy!!"

"No!" shouted Sakura as she restrained Kiba, while Shikamaru used his shadow to hold Akamaru back, "he's on our side this time…I mean, I guess he's on our side."

"We're all enemies of The Heartless here," said Riku, "we're all in this together."

"As long as it pleases me to do so," said Sasuke.

"Alright then," said Kiba as he and Akamaru relaxed, causing Sakura and Shikamaru to release their holds on them, "but the second it doesn't please him any more, his ass is ours." Akamaru barked in agreement.

"That'll be the day," muttered Sasuke.

"Come on, Busy Brows," said Naruto as he and Kairi tilted Rock Lee's head back so he could consume his healing potion, "down the hatch, it's for you own good."

Lee then regained consciousness and willingly drank the potion, swallowing every drop, then muttered, "I hate medicine, it all tastes like Sake, and you know what that does to me."

Ten seconds later Rock Lee was fully energized. He jumped up excitedly and performed several cartwheels to show his enthusiasm, "I am restored!!" he then grasped Sakura's hand, his eyes full of grateful starts, "Ms. Sakura, you have my eternal gratitude!"

He then grasped Kairi's hand, "and you, Ms. Kairi, I am forever in your debt."

"Still overacting," muttered Sasuke.

It was then that Rock Lee saw Sasuke, "you!! Traitor!!!" He prepared to charge at Sasuke, but Naruto grabbed him with multiple Shadow Clones.

"Easy, Bushy Brows," said the real Naruto as his copies pined Lee to the ground, "he's on our side today."

"And you expect me to forgive him?!" Lee exclaimed as he struggled to get free of the multiple Naruto's, "after what he did to Ms. Sakura?"

"I don't expect anything of you, Lee," said Sakura, "not in this manner, except that you'll work with Sasuke on this. Believe me, I'm so over the treacherous creep." But Kairi sensed it were otherwise concerning Sakura's feelings.

"Alright," said Rock Lee as he relaxed. Naruto ordered his copies to released him and Lee got back up, "but I'm keeping my eye on him. One false move against us and your future is dead, Sasuke Uchiha."

"Whatever," said Sasuke, "can we get moving already? I've wasted enough time here already."

"We really should be going," said Riku as he checked the map with Sakura, "we're getting close to the source of The Heartless. If we hurry, we can be there in two hours on the outside."

"You'll get no complaints from me," said Shikamaru. He then looked at Sora, Naruto and the others, who were looking at him like he had lost his mind, "what? I can find myself in a situation where I have nothing to complain about."

"Things just keep getting weirder and weirder," said Sora.

"Uh-huh," said Donald.

"Yep," said Goofy.

**The end of chapter 5.**

Naruto: How much longer 'till we get to the source of The Heartless?

Riku: Not much further.

Shikamaru: That's what you said five minutes ago! This is such a drag.

Goofy: We'll get there in no time!

Sakura: I'm not worried about.

Sasuke: Who's that with Ulrik? That furry lummox?

Sora: Pete! But what's he up to?

Kairi: More importantly, what's Maleficent up to?

Naruto: Next chapter, 'The Plan.'

Donald: Be sure to leave lots of reviews!

Naruto: Wait, what kind of chapter title is that?

Kiba: It does seem a bit lame

AndrewK9000: It's the best I could come up with, so just bare with me.

Sora: Who's that?

AndrewK9000: I'm the writer of this story, got a problem with it?

Riku: You'll get no complaints from me.

AndrewK9000: Wait, here's a better title; 'Plans Within Plans.'

Naruto: Much better

Sora: I like it

Donald: Me to!

Goofy: Yep!

Naruto: Okay then, for real. Next chapter, 'Plans Within Plans.'

Donald: Be sure to leave lots of reviews!

Shukamaru: You already told them that.


	6. Chapter 6: Plans within Plans

"This is just insane!" said Naruto as he, Sora and the others finished off yet another batch of Heartless that they encountered on their way to the source of the Heartless incursion. It had been nearly four hours since Sasuke had joined the group, yet they had barely covered five miles.

"We must have killed nearly ten thousand of these things in the past hour alone," said Sakura as she checked the map, "but we're barely making any progress."

"I think I know what the enemy is up to," said Riku, "the Villain who's controlling The Heartless here…"

"Ulrik," said Sasuke, "he said his name was Ulrik."

"Right," said Riku, "I'll bet that Ulrik can see us somehow, and he's sending all these Heartless against us to wear us out."

"So that when we finally reach the Heartless Source," said Sora, "we'll be too tiered to fight."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Naruto said boldly.

**Chapter 6: Plans Within Plans**

"Kiba," said Naruto, "I need a smokescreen, as big as you can make one."

"I don't know what you're thinking about, Naruto," said Kiba as he pulled out half a dozen smoke pellets, "but I'll go with it." He prepared to throw them to the ground.

"Not like that," said Naruto, he took the pellets, "like this!" and threw them into the air so they all exploded above the group, creating a large purple smokescreen that extended around for 30 feet in all directions.

Naruto then had everyone lay on the ground so they wouldn't breathe in the smoke. "Right, hopefully, whoever's watching us won't be able to see us now."

"That's brilliant, Naruto!" said Kairi. She then looked at Sakura, "and you keep calling him a knucklehead."

"He has his moments," said Sakura, "but when you've known Naruto for as long as I have, you realize that deep down, he's still a bit of an idiot."

"Yeah," said Kairi in an agreeing tone, "all boys can be like that."

"So what's the plan, Naruto?" Rock Lee asked.

"Let's wait a second," said Naruto, "just wait," as they were waiting, Sora saw that the wind was causing the smokescreen to spread out. It was still thick, but now it covered an area over 150 feet in all directions.

"Now!" said Naruto, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!!" there was a large puff of white smoke, and where one Naruto lay, there was now 40.

"I don't get it," said Donald.

"This is just step one," said the real Naruto, "now for step 2!"

"TRANSFORM!!" shouted the 39 copies. With smaller puffs of smoke, there were now three copies each of Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Rock Lee, Tenten, Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi and Riku. The copies the gathered into groups.

"Wait for it!" said Naruto, "now!" by that time the smokescreen had begun to dissipate. The four groups of heroes then went off in four different directions.

"I get it now!" said Goofy, "you're tryn' to confess that Villain Ulrik!"

"That's 'confuse,' ya' big dummy!" said Donald.

"Well I think it's a good plan," said Tenten, "this way Ulrik and whoever's with him will have to divide their Heartless in order to attack all four groups."

"Which means we'll probably finally get a break," said Sakura. Sure enough, several minutes went by without any attacking Heartless. Still, they kept their guard up, until they reached a small rock outcropping that formed a natural lean-to.

"This looks like a good place to rest," said Naruto. They stopped at the rocks.

"I got a question," said Kiba as he helped rub Akamaru's sore paws, "how come this Ulrik has so many Heartless to throw against us?"

"Where's he getting them all from?" Tenten asked.

"From the countless worlds across time and space that have already been consumed by the darkness," said Riku.

"There were thousands of them swarming The World that Never Was," said Sora, "and even more around that castle that Organization XIII had, just before we fought Xemnas."

"And who knows what other creatures Maleficent has," said Kairi.

"This Maleficent sounds like a real evil bitch," said Tenten.

"You have no idea," said Riku.

"Relax while you can, people," said Naruto as he and Sakura studied the map, "we're getting close to the source, we won't have many more chances to recharge."

"We know that," said Sasuke darkly. He then sat apart from the others.

"Is he always this moody?" Riku asked.

"He's always been a bit dark," said Sakura, "especially after what happened in The Chûnin exam, but now…" she looked at Sasuke with longing in her eyes. It was as if she wanted to smash him into a bloody pulp, while at the same time yearning to embrace him like a long lost lover.

"What's a chowder exam?" Goofy asked

"That's chummy exam, ya' big palooka!" said Donald.

"You're both wrong," said Tenten, "Shinobi are divided into three ranks based on experience; Genin-beginner, Chûnin-journeyman and Jonîn-master."

"A few years ago, we took the Chûnin Exam," said Naruto, "me, Sakura, Sasuke, Kiba and Akamaru, Bushy Brows, Tenten, even the shirker and his team, and several others from our village."

"My ears are burning," said Shikamaru in an annoyed tone, "but yes, we all took the exam, as well as dozens of other Genin from other Hidden Villages. The test was, to say the least, far from boring. In the end, circumstances conspired against everyone, resulting with me being the only one to pass and be promoted."

"So he has seniority," said Kairi, "right?"

"More or less," said Sakura, "But someone else from our age group has been promoted to Jonîn by now."

"And it's only a matter of time," said Naruto, "four years, five at the most, before I'm Hokage, believe it!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," said Riku, "anyway, you were saying about Sasuke."

"Oh yeah, Sasuke," said Naruto, "well, during the second part of the exam, a test that was part survival challenge, part reconnaissance, part combat and a whole lot of other stuff, our team, Sakura, Sasuke and me, we were attacked by a really evil Shinobi."

"Orochimaru," said Sakura, "if there really is a devil, he's his living form. Or was, since last we heard he was finally killed."

"But he was very much alive when he attacked us," said Naruto, "he knocked me out, but not before I did everything I could to fight back. While I was unconscious, Orochimaru bit Sasuke on the neck."

"He bit him?!" Kairi asked.

"That's just disgusting," said Sora.

"How revolting," said Donald.

"And un-santy-tary," said Goofy.

"It's worse than that," said Sakura, "I saw what Orochimaru did. He infected Sasuke with a curse, one that feeds off of hate and rage. The curse then grants the victim with incredible power, but at the cost of his or her heart."

"Orochimau did this to Sasuke to make him stronger," said Naruto, "and more like him. We later found out that Orochimaru was once one of the strongest and most famous Shinobi in our village, before he started messing with all sorts of forbidden jutsus and who knows what other kind of evils, all in the pursuit of immortality."

"But it's not working out for him," said Kairi.

"The way he sought to live forever," said Sakura, "it caused his body to rot away from the inside. His twisted black soul was preserved, but he had to transfer it to another body to preserve it. And he's been doing it for twenty years, leaping from body to body every three years or so, all the while gaining power over the ninja arts his current body possessed."

"That's why he wanted Sasuke," said Naruto, "being one of the last of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke possessed a rare Jutsu unique to his family, a Kekkei Genkai or bloodline ability. Such a powerful technique as Sasuke's, the Sharingan Eye, was irresistible to Orochimaru."

"So he infected Sasuke with the curse and made him his protégé," said Sakura, "until the day Orochimaru tried to possess Sasuke's body. We don't know all the details, but what's certain is that Sasuke fought back and destroyed Orochimaru's body before he could transfer his soul."

"Then Orochimaru is dead?" Sora asked tentatively.

"I hope so," said Naruto, "but we really can't be certain what that forked-tongue bastard had for backup plans. Let's just say we're keeping an eye out for him, just to be safe."

"There's still one thing," said Riku, "if Orochimaru is dead…"

"Sasuke still has to deal with his brother," Naruto.

"And even then, once he's avenged his family by killing Itachi," said Sakura, "I doubt he'll come back home on his own. Which is why after we finish this mess with The Heartless, Naruto, myself and the others, we're going to do everything in our power to bring Sasuke back to the village, even if we have to drag him by his hair."

"You love him," said Kairi suddenly, "don't you."

At this Sakura blushed heavily, "I used to, when we were younger. At the least I was very much attracted to him, it was far more than a crush. But even when he was infected with the curse, when he told me that he was leaving the village, even after every attempt to help him get rid of the curse had failed, I still felt drawn to him.

"I told Sasuke, the night he abandoned the village, that I would go with him, even if it meant going straight to hell, I would be with him. Instead he left me behind to wallow in my own misery."

"That dirty bastard!" said a shocked Kairi, "you offered to go with him, even into the jaws of hell, and he abandoned you like yesterdays' garbage?"

"I did," said Sasuke as he looked at them, "and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. For the last time, Sakura, you mean nothing to me. Not you, not the village, not Naruto, nothing!"

"If I mean so little to you," said Naruto, "then why didn't you kill me that time. Remember? When you first abandoned the village, when me and the guys chased after you?" he looked at Sora, "Sasuke and I fought that day. We each gave it our all, each taping into powers we didn't know we had. That was the day I truly grasped the power of the demon, and Sasuke utilized the curse mark that Orochimaru infected him with.

"We fought till we couldn't fight anymore, and Sasuke was the one left standing. I was totally exhausted and at his mercy. It would have been simple for Sasuke to slit my throat or bash my head in with a rock, or even strangle me, I was that helpless. But he didn't," he then looked at Sasuke and smiled, "you know why you didn't kill me? It's because you do care."

"You're deluding yourself, Naruto," said Sasuke, "and it's time we should get going."

"He has a point," Shikamaru said reluctantly.

"The sooner we close up the source of Heartless," said Tenten, "the sooner we can get on with other things."

"Like giving Sasuke the beating he so deserves?" whispered Kiba.

"That and so much more," whispered Rock Lee.

"So how much further till we reach the source?" Sora asked as they started running again.

"We've really been pushed behind schedule," said Sakura, "what with all the Heartless attacks. At this pace we can be there around midmorning tomorrow, assuming we're not interrupted again and only stop to get a few hours of sleep."

"Let's just hope your clones keep The Heartless busy that long," said Riku to Naruto.

"I hope so to," said Naruto.

********

Pete walked into the large clearing that was the source of The Heartless into the world. A large rip had formed in the air, on the other side of which was nothing but darkness. One by one a steady stream of Shadows, Neo Shadows and other types of Heartless were coming through. Some of which immediately went off in search of hearts to take, while others remained in the clearing to be 'upgraded' by Ulrik into Oniwanban, Ronin, Dryads, and other more advanced types that Ulrik already had templates of.

Such templates consisted of Armored Knights and Zip Slashers, both wearing heavy armor and carrying deadly swords. The former prefers to attack in large swarms, overwhelming their opponents, while the later tented to be incredibly more powerful and worked alone. Several other types being assembled were the laser armed Surveillance Robots and Watchers, and then there was the larger Guardian model.

Ulrik paused from his work to look at a large crystal ball he had brought with him to the world. It showed three views, each showing Sora, Naruto and their companions fighting Heartless. But if the crystal was true, then there were three groups of the same people.

"When are our guests due to arrive?" Ulrik asked Pete.

"The first of 'em should be here soon," said Pete, "with more of 'em coming later on. They should all be here tomorrow before lunch. Some of 'em are pretty nasty, while the rest aren't worth scrap. I don't see how those losers will be of any use to us."

"In this business we'll always have use for scum," said Ulrik, "if only as cannon folder, so as to save the ranks of Heartless for when it really matters. But I'm more concerned about the meddling brats."

"Which one's the real ones?" Pete asked as he looked at the crystal ball.

"That's the thing," said Ulrik as he to looked at the crystal ball, "I don't know. For all I know they're all illusions to distract us from the real ones, wherever they are. But one thing is for certain," he glared at the triple image of Sasuke, "that one will taste the full flavor of my wrath."

"I don't know," said Pete as he looked at the three Sasuke's, "he looks really tough to me, tough and dark." Pete then had a nasty idea, "maybe dark enough to be what we're looking for here, dark enough to make a really tough Heartless."

"He won't get a chance to become a Heartless," said Ulrik darkly, "I'm going to kill him myself."

"Good luck," teased Erika as she sat on a nearby rock, "you'll need it," she giggled.

"If I wanted your opinion, wench," snapped Ulrik, "I'd give it to you! And just where have you been for the past four hours? I could have used your assistance."

"Yeah right," said Erika as she hopped off the rock and walked over, "like I'll ever help a pompous son of a pig like you. But I will off this bit of advice; don't underestimate the Uchiha kid.

"I did some research; Sasuke not only possesses a bloodline ability that will allow him to read you like a book, he also has a curse on his shoulders. Well, it's on his neck, but who's counting?

"Anyway, that curse gives him unimaginable power, but it's also corrupting his heart. It's only a matter of time before he becomes a Heartless all on his own, a really strong Heartless that will probably have a matching Nobody, but a Heartless nonetheless."

"As I told the fat cat," said Ulrik, indicating Pete, who happened to be munching on some tuna at the time, "I'm not interested in Sasuke's heart, I want his head!"

"And I want his heart," said the disembodied voice of Maleficent. A Dark Corridor opened, which Maleficent walked through.

"Mistress of all Evil!" said Ulrik as he bowed respectfully, "you honor me with your presence!"

"Maleficent!" said a surprised Pete as he fumbled and nearly dropped the tuna can he was eating from. He threw it over his shoulder and snapped to attention.

"So the boss lady pays a visit to the boondocks," said Erika in a nonchalant tone, "and here I thought she was an ivory tower recluse."

"You'd better watch what you say in front of Maleficent, girlie!" snapped Pete, "or else!"

"Or else what?" Erika asked in a daring tone as she looked at Maleficent, "she'll turn me into a suitcase? I'd like to see her try."

"Actually, I was thinking you'd make a better paperweight," said Maleficent, "for all the usefulness you've been. As for the young Uchiha, I do have use for him, or rather, his heart."

"What are you talking about?" Erika asked.

"You'll see soon enough," said Maleficent. She then looked up, "ah, progress has been made."

There in the air was Maleficent's pet raven. It circled the clearing before landing on his mistress' shoulder, a small scroll in its beak.

"Well done, my pet," said Maleficent as she tool the scroll and gave her raven an affectionate stroke on his head. She then read the scroll, "it seems that you will have two more guests, Ulrik, and these are the most important guests of all."

"Who are they, oh great one?" Ulrik asked.

"The ones who will drive Naruto Uzumaki to us," said Maleficent, "as well as Sasuke Uchiha. Yes, Ulrik, I also desire Sasuke. Both young Shinobi will make excellent additions to our forces, at the very least as Heartless."

"If you so wish it," said Ulrik reluctantly, "it shall be so. Both Naruto and Sasuke will be yours, and the others with them will meet their doom, especially the Keyblade brats."

"I knew I could count on you, Ulrik," said Maleficent as she smiled, "take note of this one, Pete, he is one to learn from."

"I'll do that," said Pete, always eager to please his mistress. He them fumbled around in his pockets, "now, where did I put that there pen and notebook?"

"Wherever did you find that loser?" Erika asked.

"You'd be surprised," said Maleficent. She then glared at Erika, "as for you, young lady, I sincerely suggest that you start pulling your weight in this project, or you'll discover firsthand how unpleasant I can be when displeased."

"I told you already that I'm not afraid of you," said Erika boldly, "you want to make this personal, I'm ready whenever you are"

"Nothing would make me happier than to put such an arrogant upstart witch like you in your place," said Maleficent, "but I have business elsewhere," she opened another Dark Corridor, "but we will settle our differences another time, Erika, we will indeed settle them." She and her raven then went through the portal, which closed after them.

"Perhaps you regret joining us?" Ulrik asked in a teasing manner.

"I regret nothing," said Erika, "and I'm not the one who'll be put in her place."

"Well you'd better start pulling your weight 'round here," said Pete, "or else you'll get your chance to fight Maleficent."

"Whatever," said Erika, "but you do have a point, I have been neglectful to the cause." She looked at the gathered Shadows and Neo Shadows waiting to be upgraded, "I have a few ideas of my own," she looked at Ulrik, "if you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Ulrik in a mock pleasant tone, "but I doubt your imagination matches my own in levels of creativity."

"We'll see about that," said Erika as she began to work.

********

"Yet again I have to deal with a arrogant, wet-behind-the-ears sorceresses who is doomed to self destruction!" snapped Maleficent as she stormed through the corridors of New Hollow Bastion, "why is it that I cannot find any decent dark magic users who aren't full of themselves!?"

She burst into her throne room, scattering various Heartless and other foul beings from her path. She sat on her throne of darkness and held her head in her head, a headache throbbing behind her pale eyes.

She snapped her fingers, (insert finger snapping sound) and a goblin minion brought forth a mild healing potion, which Maleficent drank, curing the headache within seconds.

"Much better," said Maleficent. She set the goblet down on the tray and dismissed the goblin with a wave of her hand.

Another goblin approached the throne, "Oh great and terrible one, your 2:30 appointment is here."

"Have then wait for fifteen minutes," said Maleficent, "the last time I had both of them in my presence, said meeting ended badly for all of us. It is time those two are reminded whom is the dominant one in the cause."

"I obey, oh terrible Maleficent," said the goblin. It bowed and left the throne room.

About a quarter of an hour later, a certain Greek God of the Underworld with blue skin and blue flames for hair, waltzed into the throne room.

"Nice place you got here," said Hades, "very nice, very classy, very dark. I may put a summer house here; The Underworld can be so boring sometimes, you know."

"The center of my new empire may be pleasing to you," said Maleficent, "but I did not summon you to New Hollow Bastion to review it."

"Excuse me?" Hades asked, "did you say that _you _summoned me?" he chuckled, "it's funny 'cause nobody summons The Lord of The Underworld. Some mortals may think they've summoned me, but I only go to them 'cause I want to."

"And for what reason did you come here when 'invited' you?" Maleficent asked.

"Just curious," said Hades as he idly looked around, "just wanted to know if you were still in the whole 'cover all of existence in darkness' business. Looks like you are."

Hades then saw that the floor in front of Maleficent's throne showed a moving image of Sora, Naruto and the others fighting Heartless, "keeping tabs on the meddling brats. Good, I still owe them, them and 'Muscle Boy.'"

"You shall have your revenge of Hercules as well as everyone you wish destroyed," said Maleficent, "assuming we can ever agree to properly work together. Where is the other one, the fat one?"

"A member of King Triton's court called me fat once," said Ursula as she stood in the doorway to the throne room, which was shadowed so that only her eyes were visible, "I turned him into a mollusk and ate him raw. HAHA! That's one of the three reasons old Triton kicked me out of Atlantica!!"

"What's the other reason?" Hades asked, "besides being a power-hungry Sea Witch?"

"That's my dirty little secret, Hades dear," said Ursula in a teasing manner as she moved from the shadows into the dim torchlight of the throne room. A shocking change had come over the Sea Witch; while still having very white hair and very purple skin, instead of having the lower body of an octopus, Ursula now walked with two legs. She was wearing a black evening gown and shawl.

"I see that your third life suits you well, Ursula," said Maleficent.

"And you're still the same, Malefient darling," said Ursula. She then glared at the image of Sora, "you'll have to wait your turn, Hades, I want to make Sora suffer for everything he's done to me, him and that little mermaid turned human."

"If you hate humans so much, Toots," said Hades, "why'd you make me resurrect you as one? I've gone to a lot of trouble brining you back to life, again."

"And I do appreciate that you've given me another chance," said Ursula, "but I need to appear more like a human, in order to better walk among them." She looked at Maleficent, "assuming that's what our gracious host wishes of me."

"Indeed it is," said Maleficent, "I am convinced that some, if not all, of the new recruits that my 'associate' Pete found will soon prove themselves unworthy. His loyalty vastly makes up for his lack of intelligence. No doubt he'll try again to find more of those worthy of serving the cause."

"You mean your cause," said Hades, "just what is it you want from me and the 'little lady' here?"

"I need you to go to other worlds," said Maleficent, "there are far more worlds in existence than can be counted, all of them full of hearts waiting to be filled with darkness. I need you, Hades and Ursula, to go to these worlds and seek out strong hearts and turn them to the darkness."

"And turn them into superiorly strong Heartless," said Ursula, "yes, I can see where you're going with this."

"But if you make a Heartless from someone with a strong heart," said Hades, "you risk creating a Nobody as well. We all know the trouble Organization XIII gave us."

"I have already taken such a situation into account," said Maleficent, "it is only a matter of time before I perfect the means to controlling Nobodies."

"Really?" a curious Ursula asked, "care to share the secret?"

"Not at this time," said Maleficent, "for now you shall have to content yourselves with observing the current events," she caused the image to show the real Sora, Naruto and co hurrying to the Heartless source, then showed an image of Ulrik and Erika creating more advanced forms of Heartless.

"Those two are the ones you expect to fail?" Hades asked.

"There is still time for them to prove themselves," said Maleficent, "assuming they don't destroy each other first."

**The end of chapter 6.**

Rock Lee: My moment to shine has arrived! I shall destroy The Heartless with the awesome power of youth!

Kiba: Keep your spandex on, we really don't know what we're up against here.

Riku: I know one person we're up against. It's that Ulrik guy who making the new Heartless types we've seen here.

Sora: And look who's with him.

Shikamaru: Never mind that furry lummox; look who else is here.

Sasuke: He's here! Finally! I'm gonna kill him!!"

Sakura: Sasuke! Wait!!

Naruto: Next chapter, 'Dark Gathering; Assembly of Evil.'

Chip and Dale: Be sure to leave lots of great reviews!


	7. Ch7: Dark Gathering Assembly of Evil

The source of The Heartless is just over this ridge," said Sakura as she double-checked the map. It was near midmorning, our heroes managed to catch a few hours rest in the middle of the night and were refreshed enough for the day's efforts. Sora, Naruto and the others were at the base of a large, long hill. According to the map, there was a wide clearing opposite the hill, wide enough to hold a football field.

"If we do this right," said Naruto, "we can find out what's going on over there without them knowing we're here."

"That's what being a Shinobi is all about," said Sora, "stealth and surprise, right?"

"That's the general idea," said Sasuke, "let's just get this over with."

"Well aren't you a little ray of sunshine," said Kairi.

"Don't antagonize him," said Riku, "he's no even worth the effort."

"I'm starting to dislike you Keyblade wielders," said Sasuke in a slightly annoyed tone, "the more you push my buttons, the more I'll enjoy taking my anger out on you when this whole mess with The Heartless is over."

**Chapter 7: Dark Gathering, Assembly of Evil**

"Just calm down, Sasuke," said Sakura, "the last thing you need right now is to let your emotions rule you."

"Don't tell me what to do!" snapped Sasuke.

"What's with you, man?" Kiba asked, "the Sasuke I knew was always so calm and collected." At this Akamaru nodded in agreement.

"I'll bet the curse mark is messing with his head," said Tenten.

"And his heart," said Shikamaru. At that Rock Lee nodded in agreement.

"There's nothing wrong with me," said Sasuke as he glared at his former companions, "I'm in complete control of myself."

"Then why do you look so afraid?" Naruto asked, "sure, you're putting up a brave front, but on the inside, you're trembling."

"You can't keep going like this, Sasuke," said Sakura, "sooner or later the curse is going to destroy you from the inside. Then you'll become that which we are fighting now, a Heartless.

"Come back with us when this is over, come back to the village. I'm sure Lady Tsunade will know how to remove the curse mark and free you from the darkness."

"No!" exclaimed Sasuke, "I need the curse mark! It's the only way I'll be strong enough to destroy Itachi!"

"Revenge will only lead you to more pain," said Riku, "just as staying in the darkness will. I should know, I spent so much time in the darkness, I nearly forgot what it was to be in the light. It's not too late, Sasuke Uchiha, you can still save yourself, otherwise you will become a Heartless, and probably a Nobody as well, and it'll be up to us to stop you before you hurt anyone."

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Sasuke asked in a desperate tone, "I choose this path, and I fully intend to walk it to the end, even if what awaits me at the end is destruction."

"Then why are you doing it?" Naruto asked, "and don't give me that crap about settling family honor, we're way past that, and don't even think about saying anything about how I have no idea what you're going through, Sasuke. I get it, you had a fudged up childhood, so did I, and you know it."

"Let's just stop here," said Kairi, "we're all going around in circles. For now let's just focus on stopping The Heartless from destroying this world."

"Kairi's right," said Sora, "First thing's first, stopping The Heartless. Then we can worry about everything else."

"You'll get no complaints from me," said Sakura.

"Nor from me," said Sasuke, "we'll settle this later, once and for all."

"Agreed," said Naruto, "one way or another, Sasuke, we'll finish this."

"There's one crisis averted," said Riku.

"What a rotten development this is turning out to be," said Donald.

"You think we can stop Naruto and Sasuke from hurtin' each other?" Goofy asked.

"We can certainly try," said Sora, "but first we need to find out what's happening on the other side of the ridge."

Fortunately for our heroes, Donald had a spell that would allow them to see what was happening. With a hastily dug hole in the ground that was filled with water, Donald created a scrying pool that showed the clearing on the other side of the hill. It showed the large rift that was spewing Heartless into the world, as well as several ranks of advanced Heartless types.

Also there were several dozen humans, all of them looking rather villainous and vile. Some were Shinobi, while others were vagrant swordsmen, and others still looked to be members of organized crime gangs.

"Some of them look familiar," said Tenten as she pulled out a small black notebook from her pocket and began flipping through the pages, revealing brief dossiers of wanted criminals, "yes, some of these guys have prices on their heads. We'd be doing the world a favor bringing some of them in to face justice.

The image in the scrying pool now focused on Ulrik and Pete. As they talked to each other. Sitting on a rock, idly filling her nails, was Erika, but Sora and the others didn't know who she was.

"Who's that?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know," said Riku, "when I saw her earlier she didn't say her name."

"Who's the furry one?" Kiba asked.

"Oh, that's Pete," said Sora, "he's nothing to worry about."

"Can't even tie his own shoes," said Kairi.

"Can this puddle do audio?" Naruto asked, "I want to know what they're saying."

"Just give me a second," said Donald. He adjusted the spell so that they could hear the baddies talking, but it was like hearing them from the other side of a wall. All the voices were muffled.

"What's the matter with this thing?" Donald asked as he adjusted the spell again. Sora and the others could hear the baddies talking more clearly, but they were all speaking in Spanish.

"Oh yeah," said Shikamaru sarcastically, "big improvement there."

"Dog gone piece of crap spell," grumbled Donald, "why won't it work?" he adjusted the spell again. Sora and the others could understand what was being said now, but the picture was distorted, like a bad antenna reception.

"Work darn you!" exclaimed Donald as he adjusted it again. Now the image was like a photo negative.

By now Donald had fully lost his temper and was throwing random adjustment spells at the scrying pool, until finally it settled into perfect clarity, like a high definition plasma screen with digital audio.

"If I could have everyone's attention, please," said Ulrik as he stood atop a large rock. The assembled baddies had been speaking among themselves, making small talk. At the sound of Ulrik speaking, the baddies stopped their conversations and paid attention to him.

"On behalf of Maleficent, the mistress of all evil," said Ulrik, "I wish to thank you all for coming here today. I understand that you all have your own agendas in this world, but I believe that what the great and terrible Maleficent has to offer will be worth your wile."

"It'd better be," said a random baddie, "I've got a serious con scam going on and I'm on a tight schedule."

"And I've got an extortion plan to finish," said another baddie.

"And we've got targets to eliminate," said a third baddie. Tenten identified this one and a few others with him as members of an assassination guild.

"What we have an offer that puts all of your plans to shame," said Ulrik, "I'm sure that by now you've all seen and heard of what The Heartless can do."

The assembled baddies nodded in agreement.

"Well imagine this," said Pete, "a whole army of Heartless, obeying your every command. They can be yours, if you'll swear allegiance to Maleficent!"

"No thank you!" said a fourth random baddie, "I was offered a similar bargain with Orochimaru. I was wise to turn him down. He tried to form an alliance of bad guys, and look what happened to him, murdered by his own protégée."

"Orochimaru may be dead in body," said a voice among the assembled baddies, "but his soul lives on."

"That voice," said a shocked Sakura, "is it…?"

"It is," said Naruto through gritted teeth, "the other traitor."

The ranks of baddies parted to allow a man wearing a dark cloak approach the front. His hood was up, covering half his face in shadows. The other half revealed a man in his mid twenties with natural gray hair tied back in a pony tail and wearing glasses.

"Kabuto?" a surprised Kiba asked.

"I knew that worm would turn up sooner or later," said Shimakaru.

Naruto noticed the confused faces of Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy, "Kabuto is…was…Orochimaru's right hand man. He infiltrated our village a few years ago. We met him during the Chûnin exam. He was posing as a Genin, when in truth he's really at Jônin level."

"He was acting as a medical ninja," said Sakura, "who also had information on hundreds of other Shinobi, including us. He befriended us, claiming to want to give us Leaf Ninjas an edge on other visiting Genin from other villages."

"But in truth he was there to gather information on all of us," said Sasuke, "including me."

"And he got what he wanted," said Naruto, "in more ways than one."

"So you're the late Orochimaru's majordomo," said Ulrik, "I assume you've come seeking new employment?"

"No," said Kabuto as he smiled, "I've come to deliver a message, from Orochimaru himself."

"Bullsh$t!!" snapped a random baddie, "Orochimaru is dead!"

"The rumors of his demise are, somewhat exaggerated," remarked Kabuto as he reached to pull the hood of his cloak down, "his body may be destroyed, but his soul lives on, in me."

He pulled his hood down, revealing the other side of his face. It was deathly white and that side of his nose was barely a slit. His eye was yellow and also silted, giving that side of his face the appearance of a snake.

Kabuto then spoke in a voice that was different from his own; velvety smooth and charming, while at the same time carrying the undertone of sudden death:

"My body is gone, destroyed when I tried to take what was mine; the body and powers of Sasuke Uchiha. The ungrateful brat rebelled against me, after all that I had done to make him more powerful than before, far more powerful than he would have been had he stayed at The Hidden Leaf village.

"He resisted me and I died, but my soul survived. Kabuto here was conveniently close at hand to serve as a host. Eventually I will have fully integrated into this body, making it my own. Kabuto doesn't mind, his loyalty has always been his best asset.

"But I won't be content with this. I will have Sasuke and his Sharingan Eye. And if siding with this Maleficent and her Heartless will bring Sasuke to me that much sooner, then so be it."

"Well that's one you conned into joining us," said Erika idly.

"Quiet you," muttered Ulrik. He then spoke in a more pleasant tone, "I'm sure that you'll find our terms of allegiance most satisfactory, Lord Orochimaru. Even more so, I believe that Maleficent would be gracious enough to provide you with a more suitable, albeit temporary host, so as not to burden you with the loss of a loyal subordinate."

"A tempting bargain," said Orochimaru, "I will consider it."

"I suggest you all consider it," said Ulrik to the assembled baddies.

"This is a one time offer," said Pete, "better think fast, 'cause this deal won't last much longer!"

"I knew that scaly bastard wouldn't stay dead!" said Sasuke. He pounded his fist to the ground in frustration, "I should have made sure he was gone for good!"

"I take it this is a bad thing," said Kairi.

"You'd better believe it," said Sakura.

"During the Chunin exam," said Naruto, "Orichimaru launched an attack against the village. Several Leaf Shinobi died, including Old Man 3rd Hokage. He died fighting Orochimaru."

"And now apparently Orochimaru is back from the dead," said Kiba through gritted teeth, while Akamaru growled angrily.

"What do we do?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know," said Sasuke in an anxious tone, as if this were really bothering him, really. "I need to think," he held his hand to his forehead, "I need to think…I can't think straight!"

"I'll be it's his inner darkness that's messin' with his mind," said Goofy.

"You may be right," said Riku.

"Just cool it a bit, Sasuke," said Shikamaru, "I'll think of something, like I always have to." He squatted next to the scrying pool and placed his hands in a manner that had the fingertips of both hands touching.

"He always does this when he's thinking," said Rock Lee, "I've seen Shikamaru do this when contemplating a chess move, or whenever he's in a tight spot that requires a mental breakthrough."

"Okay," said Shikamaru, "it's clear that Kabuto and Orochimaru are indeed in the same body, which leaves them at a disadvantage. As far as I can tell, because his soul isn't fully integrated into Kabuto's body, Orochimaru can't use all of his jutsus, nor can Kabuto use all of his abilities. The two of them, while Kabuto is willing to give himself fully to his master, they're not really working together where it really counts."

"So we'll have the advantage with them," said Naruto, "what about all the other baddies?"

"That'll take a bit longer to figure out," said Shikamaru, "there's not much more I can tell from these guys without studying them a bit. Plus the fact that there's more new types of Heartless than we've already seen."

"We'll take care of The Heartless," said Sora, while Donald, Goofy, Riku and Kairi nodded in agreement.

"And leave that Ulrik guy to me," said Riku, "we have unfinished business."

"And I'll take care of that girl," said Kairi, indicating Erika, "something about her, something so vile I just want to get rid of her."

"And we'll take care of old Pete," said Goofy.

"Yeah!" said Donald.

"And we'll handle the baddies," said Sakura, while Tenten, Rock Lee, Kiba and Akamaru nodded in agreement.

"And I'll get Kabuto," said Naruto, "not for revenge, no, I'm not going to kill him or Orochimaru. I'm just going to tie them up and drag them back to the village to face justice."

"What about Sasuke?" Kairi asked. The rouge Shinobi still looked like he was trying to think straight, but his inner darkness was still in the way.

"He'll be no more than ten paces from me," said Sakura, "I mean it. Sasuke, you're not running away after this. You may think that there was nothing between us, but you're wrong. I'm going to save you, believe it."

"That's my catchphrase!" complained Naruto. This caused everyone to laugh, even Sasuke chuckled a bit.

"Alright then," said Shikamaru, "here's what I've got; Sora, you and your friends will attack from the center. On my signal, you go over the hill and start slaying Heartless. Your overall objective is the source of The Heartless, while catching that Ulrik guy and that girl with him, as well as that big oaf Pete.

"Sakura, you'll take Sasuke and Tenten around to the left, while Rock Lee, Kiba, Akamaru and myself will go around to the right. Our job is to take out the enemy baddies. Kill them only if there's no real chance of taking them alive.

"As for you, Naruto, you'll be with everyone."

"Right," said Naruto, "I think sixty Clones should be enough, so there'll be twenty with all three groups. And I could always make more of me."

"Wait a second," said Tenten, "it looks like there's someone else coming."

The scrying pool showed that two more figures were approaching the meeting area; two men wearing black robes, or were they smocks? Or ponchos? Sora couldn't tell. The assembled baddies looked at the new comers and parted, forming a wide corridor that the two strangers approached Ulrik and Pete.

When they got closer, Sora could see that the black robes had red markings on them.

"Those are the clothes that The Akatsuki wear!" said Sakura.

"Makes sense that they would want to be involved with The Heartless," said Shikamaru.

"But which ones are they?" Naruto asked, "from what I heard, there's like nine of them, or there were. Me managed to take out a few of them not too long ago."

"It can't be," said Sasuke in a strained tone as he watched the two Akatsuki get closer, "can it? Can he really be here?"

As they got closer, Sora could tell the features of the two Akatsuki members. One was really tall, over 6ft, with spiky blue hair and blue skin. He had a very narrow nose and black eyes and a very wide grin full of sharpened teeth. Gill-like marks were on his neck, giving the man the appearance of a shark. Strapped to his back was a large sword wrapped in cloth.

But it was the other man who had Sasuke's full attention. The other Akatsuki had black hair that was a little longer than Sasuke's. His face had natural creases beneath his eyes, eyes that were red with black marks around the irises.

"Kisame and Itachi," said Naruto, "I know them anywhere. They're the Akatsuki who's been trying to catch me and old 9-Tails.

"Then that's…" Kairi asked.

"My brother," said Sasuke through gritted teeth, "he's here, my brother."

"Easy, Sasuke," said Sakura in a calming tone, "we need to stick with the plan."

"So it's true," said Itachi in the scrying pool, "you are alive, Orochimaru, more or less."

"I should have known that you would come, Itachi," said Orochimaru, "and your shark-faced friend."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't destroy you right here and now, traitor!" snapped Kisame.

"Orochimaru was part of the Akatsuki," said Sakura, "before going out on his own."

"The fact that I have information," said Orochimaru, "and that while most of my followers believe me to be dead, I have a few loyal ones, like Kabuto here, who are aware of my predicament and will act in the event I die again before I fully integrate into my new body. I promise you this, Kisame, kill me here and every hidden village in the world will know how to find every member of The Akatsuki. Wouldn't that throw a wrench into the works of your leader, Pain."

"Our leader has taken into account anything you can throw at us," said Itachi, "but that is not why we're here," he addressed the assembled baddies, "my associates in The Akatsuki have a message for all of you; stay away from The Heartless. If you know what's good for you, do not get involved at all, otherwise you'll just end up as one of them."

"Wait a second," said Pete angrily, "I thought you was the guys that Maleficent was expectin'. She said you were the ones who would being that Naruto kid and that Sasuke kid to her."

"Your mistress thought wrong," said Kisame. He grinned, showing off his shark-like teeth, "All the tailed-demons will belong to us, most especially the one in Naruto Uzumaki, the 9-tailed Fox."

"And Sasuke would never join you," said Itachi, "so long as he's hung up about me." he addressed the assembled human baddies, "our leader, Pain, he has declared The Heartless as enemies of this world. Side with them and you become an enemy of The Akatsuki. So hear my words and hear them well."

"Why should we listen to The Akatsuki?" a random baddie asked, "they're nothing more than a band of traitors."

"But at least we're smart traitors," said Kisame, "to side with The Heartless is to court ones own self-destruction."

"What reason do you have in delivering this warning?" Orochimaru asked.

"You should know that more than anyone else, old friend," said Itachi, "The Akatsuki wish to rule the world, and we can't rule the world if it's covered in darkness, and everyone has been turned into Heartless."

"Not everyone will be turned into Heartless," said Ulrik, "some will retain their sense of self, their humanity, while commanding armies of the creatures."

"Or they'll be the ones being commanded," said Itachi, "by the likes of you and your mistress. I've heard tales of Maleficent, and I find her one not to be trusted."

"Well your sources are wrong!" exclaimed Pete.

"It looks like they could be at it for a while," said Sora as he and the others watched Pete and Ulrik bicker with Itachi and Kisame, while Kabuto/Orochimaru watched from the sidelines.

"Well how's this for an unexpected twist," said Naruto, "three sets of enemies in one place."

"Orochimaru, The Akatsuki and The Heartless," said Kiba, "what are odds?"

"Yes, what are the odds," said Rock Lee as he grinned eagerly, "how fortunate are we to have the opportunity to destroy such threats to our world? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity we have here. For the glory of Guy-Sensei, for The Hidden Leaf Village, and for the whole world, we shall triumph!!"

"You really are insane!" said Kiba, "you're crazy and you have a death wish!" at this Akamaru nodded in agreement.

"It's bad enough that all those criminals and Heartless are there," said Shikamaru, "The Heartless alone made the mission a B+ class mission, and all those baddies upgraded it to A class. With Orochimaru and The Akatsuki here, the mission might as well be upgraded again to S class, maybe further, to X class."

"It'd be suicide to attack them," said Tenten, "we need to fall back and call for help from The Village."

"But we are the help," said Sakura, "Tenten, you, me, Naruto, Shikamaru, Lee, Kiba and Akamaru, we're the only ones who were available to help Sora and his friends."

"She's right," said Kairi, "we're in this on our own."

"But we can still win," said Sora, "we didn't come all this way just to give up when the odds are stacked against us."

"That's right!" said Donald, while Goofy agreed with a "yep!"

"We still have the element of surprise," said Riku, "we can still win, somehow."

"You're right," said Shikamaru, "we still have a good plan, or at least a adequate plan. I just need to rethink it a bit."

"What can you tell us about those two Akatsuki?" Riku asked.

"The blue one," said Tenten, "Kisame, he's got a sword that can absorb chakra-based attacks, and can also sap chakra from your body. But in your case, it probably works on magic as well."

"If it comes to it," said Rock Lee, "a sword on sword battle may end in his favor. Kisame was one of the 7 Legendary Swordsmen of The Mist, a very powerful team, before he betrayed his village."

"But he does use Water-Style Jutsus," said Sakura, "and Water is weak against Lightning."

"A couple Thunder spells could do it," said Sora.

"But he's got a sword that could absorb magic," said Donald.

"That's why you both will have to attack him," said Shikamaru, "while Kisame is absorbing one spell, the other will have to get behind and blast him before he notices you. Another may have to distract him."

"And as for Itachi," said Naruto, "like Sasuke, Itachi has the Uchiha Kekkei Genkai, The Sharingan Eye. He can read you like a book."

"I think he'll find this book has a few surprises of her own," said Kairi.

"There's more," said Naruto, "if you end up fighting Itachi, whatever you do, don't look him in the eyes. He's got a Jutsu called Mangekyo Sharingan. It'll put you in a Genjutsu and force you to relive your worst nightmares, over and over again. If the illusions don't scare you to death, he'll kill you himself while you're just standing there trapped in your own mind."

"Is there a defense against his Mangekyo Sharingan?" Riku asked,

"Yeah," said Naruto in a sarcastic done, "don't look him in the eyes! I just said that!"

"If he does capture you with the illusion," said Shikamaru, "you can break out of it, if your strength of will is strong enough. If not, a good punch to the face can snap you back to reality."

"Well that's comforting," said Sora.

"Wait a second," said Sakura, "where's Sasuke?"

Sora and the others looked around and realized that Sasuke wasn't with them.

"He wouldn't," said Naruto, "he's not that crazy, he wouldn't!"

"ITACHI!!!" shouted Sasuke as he stood at the top of the ridge, catching the attention of every Villain, baddie and Heartless there. Sasuke then jumped down to the other side of the hill.

"He would," said Naruto in an exasperated tone.

"Well, there goes the plan," said Shikamaru as everyone rushed to get to the top of the ridge, "of course, somebody had to ruin it, what a drag."

"It was a good plan," said Kiba, "you did your best."

"And now we'll have to do our very best if we want to get through this alive," said Tenten.

"I shall give my all!" said Rock Lee.

"And so will we," said Sora.

They got to the top of the ridge and saw Sasuke fighting his way through the baddies and Heartless, all in an enraged attempt to reach Itachi.

"Remember," said Naruto, "don't look Itachi in the eyes."

"Right," said Kairi, "I'll be sure to keep focus on his nose, so I can break it."

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Rock Lee, "let's go!!" With that they all charged down the hill into the throng below.

The end of chapter 7.

Donald: Well how's this for a fine 'how do you do?'

Shikamaru: Just when things look like they're going your way, what a drag

Riku: There's not much that isn't a drag for you, isn't there?

Shikamaru: I'm a complicated person

Sakura: We've got other things to worry about

Sora: Like sealing up the source of Heartless

Kiba: And rounding up all these baddies

Naruto: Not to mention Orochimaru and The Akatsuki. One wants to kill me, the other wants to steal the demon, then kill me

Sakura: I'm talking about Sasuke. He's about to lose himself to the darkness

Riku: Leave him to me, I think I can drag him away from the darkness, assuming there's anything left to grab onto

Naruto: Next chapter, 'Revelation of the Heart.'

Goofy: Be sure to leave plenty of them there reasons

Donald: That's reviews, ya' big palooka!


	8. Chapter 8: Revelation of the Heart

They got to the top of the ridge and saw Sasuke fighting his way through the baddies and Heartless, all in an enraged attempt to reach Itachi.

"Remember," said Naruto, "don't look Itachi in the eyes."

"Right," said Kairi, "I'll be sure to keep focus on his nose, so I can break it."

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Rock Lee, "let's go!!" With that they all charged down the hill into the throng below.

**Chapter 8: Revelation of the Heart**

By the time they got to the bottom of the hill, Sasuke had done the majority of the hard work for them, slaying most of the human baddies and destroying almost half of the gathered Heartless. Of course, more and more Heartless were pouring through the rift, but that was one thing to worry about later.

"We'll take care of the human baddies!" said Naruto as he and several of his Shadow Clones rushed ahead. Sakura, Tenten, Kiba and Akamaru, Shikamaru and Rock Lee followed suit.

Free from having to hurt anyone who still had even the smallest of a heart, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy attacked The Heartless.

Sora blocked a slash from an Armored Knight and counter slashed it, destroying the metal creature. He then slicked through four Shadows and three Neo Shadows before facing an Oniwanban.

Sora attacked first with a Fireball spell, then jumped aside to avoid the ninja-like Heartless as it threw several black shuriken. Sora blocked the deadly throwing stars, then threw a Strike Raid attack that knocked the Oniwanban off balance.

Sora recovered his Keyblade and tried to stab the creature, but it recovered and dodged Sora's attack, then maneuvered to get behind Sora.

But Sora found that he was able to move just a bit faster than he could before. Just when it seemed that the Oniwanban would stab Sora with a black kuni, Sora got behind it and beheaded the creature, a small red crystal heart rising from its dissolving remains and vanishing.

Riku and Kairi also found that they were moving faster than before, easily dodging Heartless attacks that they would have had trouble with before arriving in this world.

_It must be the Chakra exercises that Sakura made us do,_ thought Sora as he dodged a Zip Slasher's whirlwind attack, then dodged it's double thrust. For some reason, even though Sora hadn't encountered this double-bladed breed of Heartless before, he knew that if he could avoid this double attack, the Zip Slasher would be dizzy for several seconds, long enough to get in close and do some serious damage.

Just as Sora finished off the Zip Slasher, he sensed that something bad was about to happen to Kairi. He looked around to see that Kairi was fighting an Oniwanban, but she didn't notice the two Watcher-type Heartless behind her. The mechanical Heartless aimed their lasers at Kairi and prepared to fire.

But then Kairi sensed what Sora was sensing and jumped out of the way to avoid the laser blasts, which ended up hitting the Oniwanban, destroying it. Kairi flipped in the air and destroyed both Watchers before she landed perfectly on her feet.

"Are you alright, Kairi?" Sora asked.

"I'm fine," said Kairi, "thanks to you, So…look out!" she sensed that more trouble was coming, and coming it was. She pushed Sora out of the way in time to avoid the massive laser blast that a Guardian-type had just fired.

Neither was hurt, but as they got back up they noticed that they were pretty much surrounded by Neo Shadows, Armored Knights, Watchers, Oniwanban and that one Guardian.

But then Riku jumped up and stabbed the Guardian in the head, destroying it. He landed next to Sora and Kairi, "thought you could use some help."

"You think we need your help?" Sora teased, "look who's winning here?" He sliced up two Neo Shadows and then beheaded an Armored Knight, while Kairi took out a other Armored Knight and then an Oniwanban.

Just then another Zip Slasher attacked, but Goofy was there to knock it off balance with his shield. Donald then incinerated the disoriented Heartless with a massive Fireball spell.

"Lucky you've got us," said Donald as he cast a Stop spell on a charging Oniwanban, which Goofy then smashed with his shield.

"It ain't over yet!" said Goofy as he got out of the way of a lumbering Large Body, then backhanded his shield into the rear of the oversized Heartless, destroying it. Donald then cast a Gravity spell on another Large Body and then used a Thunder spell to finish it off.

Sora then realized that the number of attacking Heartless was beginning to thin out. He then noticed that nearly all the human baddies had either been killed, knocked unconscious and restrained, or had fled.

Sora then saw Naruto, his friend and his Shadow Clones engaging the remaining Heartless. Within minutes the area was nearly free of Heartless, with only the stream of Heartless emerging from the rift to deal with, which Donald temporarily fixed with a containment spell that blocked the rift.

"It won't last long," said Donald.

"We've got to seal that rift permanently," said Sora.

"But how?" Naruto asked.

"The same way we'll seal this world's Keyhole when we find it," said Riku, "with our Keyblades."

"I think we're forgetting something," said Kairi.

"We are?" Goofy asked as he rubbed his head in concentration.

"Of course we are!" said Donald.

"Where did Pete go?" Sora asked.

"Where's that Ulrik guy?" Kiba asked as he and Akamaru sniffed around.

"And that traitor Kabuto," said Tenten.

"And then there's Itachi and Kisame," said Shikamaru.

Sora had no idea to any of these questions. Since the start of the battle, there was no sign of any of those Villains.

"Never mind them," said a frantic Sakura, "where's Sasuke?"

"There's Sasuke!" said Tenten. She pointed to the tree line on the other side of the clearing. There Sasuke stood, staring down against Itachi. The two Uchiha brothers had their eyes locked on each other and their faces set in grim determination.

"What's with them?" Sora asked as he and the others walked over. The two Uchiha's were completely oblivious to the outside world. They didn't even blink when Sora and Donald waved in front of their faces.

"They're having a Genjutsu battle," said Sakura as she tried to put up a brave front, but her concern for Sasuke was making her voice strain, "they're fighting inside their minds."

"But what does that mean?" Kairi asked.

"It means that one or the other is going to end up a breathing vegetable if we let this go any further," said Naruto, "we've got to get them out of it."

"We're forgetting something again," said Kiba.

"Where's Kisame?" Rock Lee asked, "it's puzzling that Itachi would be without his partner."

Sora then noticed something odd; there were puddles of water all along the ground, but as far as he could tell, there hadn't been any rain recently.

It was then that Sora, Riku and Kairi all sensed that one of them was in danger, but it wasn't until Kairi noticed that she was standing right next to a puddle that she realized that the one in danger was her.

Just then a blue hand shot out of the puddle and grabbed Kairi by the ankle before she could react and dragged her into the puddle. She disappeared into it as if it were a pool of water instead of just a puddle.

Kairi's first instinct was to panic as she realized that she was underwater, and that the shark-grinning face of Kisame was looking at her as he continued to drag her down further into the water-based trap he created.

The way he was looking at her, like he was really enjoying watching her struggle to break free, all the while straining to hold her breath, it really disturbed Kairi. But it was enough to tame her panic for the moment.

Kairi remembered then what to do when attacked by a shark. True, this was something completely different, but then Kisame did bare a distinct resemblance to a shark. Conserving her energy, Kairi went limp.

Puzzled at this, Kisame released Kairi's ankle and rose up to get a better look at her. With all her strength, Kairi punched Kisame in the gill-like marks on his neck. It turned out that they were gills of a sort that allowed the Akatsuki member to breathe underwater.

By hitting him in one set of gills, Kisame was deprived of half of his oxygen, not to mention that getting hit in the gills hurts, just like the way it hurts a shark enough to force it away.

Kairi then swam up towards the small window of light above, leaving Kisame struggling against the pain in his neck. With her lungs nearly bursting in need of fresh air, Kairi felt like she wouldn't make it, that she was doomed to drown.

But then Kairi swore she heard Sora's voice in her head, _"Don't give up, Kairi!!" _Hearing Sora's voice reenergized her spirits. Kairi reached for the surface and broke into the open air, gasping for much needed oxygen.

Riku and Sora were there to pull her out of the puddle, "I heard you, Sora," gasped Kairi, "I heard you calling to me."

"I felt that you were nearly done for," said Sora as he helped Kairi up, "But you came back."

"The King was right," said Riku, "our powers are getting stronger."

"To bad you won't live to get to know them better," said Kisame as he emerged from the puddle and unstrapped his sword from his back. He removed the cloth covering it, revealing that the sword was made so that it looked to have large shark-like scales. Kisame then rushed at Riku.

Riku shot a Dark Aura blast, but Kisame blocked the attack with his sword, the energy of the Dark Aura was absorbed into the blade. He swung his sword up to bring it down on Riku. He put up his Dark Shield, but the sword crashed through the magic barrier, again the blade absorbing the energy.

Riku barely got out of the way in time to avoid being crushed by the oversized sword. He rolled to the side and counter attacked with his Keyblade. Kisame blocked Riku's attack and struck back with a side slice. Riku dodged it and struck back with a vicious thrust combination, which Kisame kept blocking.

Yet with each attack he made with his Keybalde, Riku felt that his strength was going out of him. He then realized that, since a Keyblade's power comes from its chosen wielder, Kisame's sword must be absorbing Riku's power through each contact with his Keyblade.

Sora realized Riku's predicament at the same time. But he knew that any attack, either with magic or with a Keyblade, Kisame would absorb it with his sword. The answer was to separate the sword from the Shinobi. Yet Kisame was proving to be a far better swordsman than Sora and Riku combined.

Just then Sora had a wild idea, wild and crazy, but it was crazy enough to try giving the circumstances. He aimed his Keyblade at Kisame's sword and shouted _"Expelliarmus!!"_

Sora felt a surge of magic shoot out of his Keyblade, and before anyone knew it, Kisame's sword flew out of his hands and clattered to the ground several yards.

Everyone was stunned by this, but Donald pulled himself together to hit Kisame with a massive Thunder spell, shocking the shark-like Shinobi to the ground.

"How'd you do that?" an impressed Riku asked.

"It worked for Harry Potter," said Sora as he and Goofy rushed over to the apparently unconscious Kisame.

"You sure he's not playin' possum?" Goofy asked.

As if in answer, Kisame leapt up and lunged at Sora with a knife, but he was intercepted by a very angry Sakura. She grabbed the arm that hand the knife and twisted it until Sora and the others heard wrist bones break.

"Sound's like you're not so much a shark after all," said an irate Sakura as she twisted the arm again, breaking both bones in Kisame's forearm, "you've still got bones to break!"

Kisame didn't look like he was feeling any effects from multiple broken bones. He still grinned in that shark-like way of his and pulled out another knife with his good hand and prepared to stab Sakura with it.

But then Kairi rushed in and punched Kisame in the gills again, proving this to really be his one weak spot. Kisame gasped for air and dropped the knife, just in time to get conked on the head by Goofy's shield.

Sakura then began pummeling the shark-like Shinobi until she, Sora and everyone else was sure that Kisame was completely knocked out. Sakura then pulled out a length of rope from her pocket and trussed Kisame up like a pig.

Sora then noticed that another fight was happening. Across the clearing was Tenten, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru, and about ten Naruto's, all of them fighting Kabuto/Orochimaru.

The traitor medical ninja who had Orochimaru's soul was using a combination of medical techniques that could disable a person's arm or leg with just a touch of his finger in the right spot on the body. Already Rock Lee's left arm was paralyzed and Tenten's right arm was rendered useless. Shikamaru couldn't use his left leg and nearly every copy of Naruto was destroyed, only to have more formed by the real Naruto.

Just then Kabuto/Orochimaru hit both Kiba and Amakaru in the chest, knocking them both to the ground, leaving the Narutos' the only ones still in the fight.

"Your friends are such disappointments, Naruto," said Kabuto as he used Orochimaru's voice, "just like you and the rest of the fools in The Hidden Leaf village are."

"Well you know all about disappointments, Orochimaru," said Naruto, "Old Man Hokage, the 3rd, he believed in you when you were one of us. He felt that you would be his successor. Instead you betrayed his trust and everyone back home with all those forbidden Jutsu's you're obsessed with, that and living forever."

"Well of course I want immortality," said Orochimaru, "only with eternal life can one learn all that there is to learn, even if that knowledge is deemed evil by those with more scruple views of the world."

"I'm not even going to argue with you about what's good and evil," said Naruto. He pointed at Orchimaru, "I'm going to stop you here once and for all! Then I'm going to stop Itachi and save Sasuke, then I'm going to help Sora and his friends stop The Heartless. Then I'll be one step forward in realizing my dream of becoming Hokage, believe it!"

"Don't make me laugh!" said Kabuto, using his own voice, "you're nothing, Naruto! You've always been nothing, and you will always be nothing! Your dream of becoming Hokage is nothing but the delusional fantasy of a hyperactive knucklehead who doesn't even know the truth of his own origin."

"If you're trying to psyche me out," said Naruto, "It's not working."

"Well then permit us to prove it!" said Orochimaru. He then summoned several poisonous snakes that attacked the Naruto copies, destroying them as the snakes bit the Shadow Clones. Several more snakes attack Tenten, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru, so they had their hands and paws busy avoiding being bitten.

Kabuto/Orochimaru then attacked and pinned Naruto to the ground, "Sasuke was such a disappointment, but perhaps you may fare different, Naruto. Let's see how a curse mark will look on you."

"You can't!" exclaimed Sakura, "the curse could release the demon!"

"Or turn him into a Heartless!" said Sora.

"Or it may kill him," said Orochimaru as he smiled viciously, "or, it might just make him the perfect vessel for my soul. We'll never know if we don't try!" With that he bit Naruto on the neck, but Naruto just smiled.

"That's what you think, creep!" said Naruto. He then disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing that that was another Shadow Clone.

Confused, Kabuto/Orochimaru stood up and looked around, completely unprepared for the real Naruto, definitely the real one this time, to burst from beneath the ground in a powerful jump that delivered a devastating uppercut to Kabut/Orochimaru's jaw, knocking the double traitor to the ground.

"You okay?" Sora asked Naruto, while Sakura and Kairi rushed over to Tenten, Shikamaru and the other Shinobi to heal their wounds.

"Couldn't be better," said Naruto as he smiled eagerly at Sora, while dusting some dirt off of his jacket. Both of them looked down at Kabuto/Orochimaru. It was clear that he, they, weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

By now Sakura and Kairi had healed Shikamaru, Rock Lee and the others.

"You got him," said Tenten.

"It's about time if you ask me," said Shikamaru.

"You fools," said Orochimaru in a threatening tone, even though his current body wasn't in any condition to fight, "you young, pathetic fools. You really think you can stop me?"

"Didn't I just do that now?" Naruto asked.

"I may be helpless at this time," said Orochimaru, "but it'll take more than this to stop me, so what now, Naruto? Well? What are you going to do now?"

"At first I figured I'd drag you back to the village to face justice, Orochimaru," said Naruto, "but right now I feel otherwise. Maybe it's the demon messing with my emotions, or maybe you just piss me off. Whatever the reason, I feel like destroying you, once and for all!"

"But you won't kill me, Naruto," said Orochimaru, "not because it's not in your nature. I'm fully aware that you are capable of doing it. But if you do, you'll miss out on a really important secret. That's right, I know something you don't know."

"Don't listen to the creep, Naruto!" said Kiba, "Finish him!"

"What secret?" Naruto asked, his curiosity perked.

"I know why you were chosen to be the host for The 9-Tails Fox," said Orochimaru, "I know why the 4th Hokage did it."

"We already know!" said Sora, "the 4th Hokage meant to use his own body as a host, then when he died, the demon would die with him. Naruto only got the demon by accident."

"That's not what really happened," said Orochimaru, "if he used his body, then the demon would break free when he died, instead of dieing with him. Only the innocent body of a newborn child could fully contain a demon as powerful as 9-Tails."

"You mean he put the demon in Naruto on purpose?" a shocked Sakura asked.

"Even more so," said Orochimaru, "the sealing jutsu the 4th Hokage used required a blood relative to be the vessel. And there was only one living blood relative available. You, Naruto, you were the only son of the 4th Hokage! Your own father condemned you to a life of pain and misery at the hands of your fellow Hidden Leaf villagers, only to be hunted by the Akatsuki. Doesn't it make you furious to know that your own father did this to you? Doesn't it make your blood boil that your father is the one who made your childhood a living hell? Well? Does is?"

"He's lying!!" exclaimed Rock Lee, "don't listen to him, Naruto! Nothing this slimy scumbag of a worm says has any semblance of truth!"

"Impossible!" exclaimed Kiba and Tenten.

"No way!" said Sakura.

"It just can't be true," said a shocked Kairi, "no father would ever to that to his own child. It's just can't be!"

"Actually," said Naruto, "it makes perfect sense for the 4th Hokage to use a blood relative, especially his own child, so that he could guide him later on in use of the demon," he looked at Sakura, "I'm sure that if my father were alive, he would have explained it to me. I'm sure he didn't intend to die, that he would have helped me."

"You can't honestly tell me you believe this filth!" snapped Sakura, "Naruto, tell me you're just joking, that you're not taking Orochimaru seriously!"

"Of course I'm taking him seriously," said Naruto as he gave a casual grin to her, "don't you see what this means, Sakura? If the 4th Hokage really was my father, then I know I'm going to be Hokage one day! Granny Tsunade's grandfather was the 1st Hogake, and now she's the 5th, so that'll make me either the 6th or 7th."

"You're serious," said Orochimaru, "you still really believe that you can be Hokare one day?"

"He won't be!" snapped Ukrik as he, Pete and Erika emerged from the trees, "You belong to Maleficent! The Mistress of all Evil has lain claim to Naruto Uzumaki, him and the 9-Tailed Fox"

"I belong to nobody!" shouted two Naruto clones as they emerged from the other side of the clearing, and charged at Ulrik, a huge swirling ball of chakra between their hands, "Oodama Rasengan!!"

**Oodama Rasengan: Big Spiral Ball**

Ulrik used his dark magic to from a barrier in front of him, while Pete and Erika got out of the way. The two Naruto's slammed the large ball of Chakra into the barrier, causing both to explode, the two Naruto clones self-destructing as well.

Pete then tried to grab the real Naruto, but he switched places with a log at the last second, leaving Pete clutching at the log. "What the…! Why you little punk! I oughta wring you out to dry!"

"Come and get me!" said Naruto in a daring tone.

Pete then charged at Naruto, only to be kicked high into the air by Rock Lee. The spandex-wearing Shinobi then jumped up after Pete, the fighting tape around his arms unwinding. Both of them reached their zenith about 100 feet in the air. Lee then made the fighting tape wrap around Pete, immobilizing him. Lee then grabbed Pete as they both began falling. Lee then caused then to spin like a corkscrew, increasing their speed.

"Let me go, ya' green punk!" shouted Pete, "you're making me dizzy!"

"I'm afraid that's the least of your problems, my furry friend!" said Lee, his eager grin glinting in the sunlight just before they hit the ground, "Take this! Primary Lotus!!"

They slammed into the ground, with enough force to create a small crater. Sora, Naruto and the others rushed over to see Pete completely out of action, while Lee stood at the bottom of the crater, apparently unharmed as he rewound the fighting tape around his arms.

"Wow," said Riku, "you sure showed him."

"That's 'cause he's a whatchamacallit," said Goofy, "a blended ninja."

"That's splendid ninja, ya' big palooka," muttered Donald.

"It was awesome," said Sora as he helped Rock Lee out of the crater.

"It was but a small feat compared to others," said Rock Lee.

"Oh for crying out loud," sighed Ulric, "you just can't get good help these days."

"You mean evil help," said Erika.

"Whatever," snapped Ulrik, "and what the hell are you doing just standing there? Attack them!"

"I don't take orders from you," said Erika in a pouting tone, "and if you're going to get snippy with me, I'll leave." with that she teleported out.

"Fine!" exclaimed Ulrik, "I'll do it myself, you useless bitch!" He then threw off his robes and assumed a fighting stance, "I'll destroy all you fools!"

"The only fool is one who sees others as fools," said Rock Lee as he assumed his fighting posture, "I accept your challenge!"

"I never offered it," said Ulrik, "I merely intended to crush you into oblivion!" With that he rushed at Rock Lee. They fought, exchanging punches and kicks, each blocking the other's attacks.

But then Ulrik began enhancing his strikes with dark magic, so they were faster and delivered more damage. For the most part, Rock Lee blocked and avoided Ulrik's attacks, but then a punch and two kicks got past his defenses, forcing him back. He was bleeding from one arm and from his mouth.

"Who's the fool now?" Ulrik taunted.

Sora and Kairi started to go help Rock Lee, but Naruto held them back, "Bushy Brows' has this covered."

"This isn't the first time Lee has been in a sticky situation," said Tenten, "trust me on this, Lee will win."

Rock Lee spat out some blood, then grinned eagerly at Ulrik, "you fight well for a practitioner of the dark arts."

"You're not so bad yourself," said Ulrik, "it's a shame you and your comrades have to die; Maleficent would gladly accept you into the ranks of the faithful."

"I refuse your offer," said Rock Lee. He then knelt down to pull down his legwarmers, revealing a set of leg weights that were wrapped around his calves. He then began unfastening the weights from his legs.

"How heavy are those weights?" Riku asked, "I forgot how much."

"He said 300lbs," said Kairi.

"That was before we left for the mission," said Tenten, "while he was packing, Lee increased the weights, they're now 350lbs."

Rock Lee then finished removing the weights from his legs. He held the weights out at arms width and let them fall to the ground, making a loud clattering and producing small dust clouds.

"Much better," said Rock Lee as he stretched.

"So you're a bit lighter now," said Ulrik, "it doesn't matter, I'll still crush you!" he then threw a dark magic sphere at Rock Lee, but the spandex-wearing Shinobi dodged it easily, his movements now nearly like lightning. Outraged, Ulrik shot another dark sphere, and another, but Rock Lee dodged each attack as if it were coming at him in slow motion.

"I am more than a bit lighter now," said Rock Lee as he dodged another dark sphere, "that and so much more."

"So what if you're faster!" snapped Ulrik, "you still can't beat me in a grapple!"

"Perhaps," said Rock Lee, "but then again, perhaps not. I happen to know something you don't know."

"Oh?" Ulrik asked as he threw a double dark sphere attack at Rock Lee, "what's that?"

Rock Lee dodged the double attack and charged at Ulrik, "I am not left handed!" He attacked Ulrik with a much fiercer style than before.

Sora then realized that Rock Lee had been using a southpaw strategy before. Now that Rock Lee was relying on his right hand, his attacks were dealing much more damage to Ulrik. Within seconds the Villain was left cut and battered all over his body.

"You have fought well," said Rock Lee, "yet you're clearly outmatched. Give up and I'm sure the village authorities will show mercy."

"Mercy is for the weak!" snapped Ulrik, "and I'm not finished yet!" he glared at Sora, "do you know why Maleficent decided to accept my employment in her new order?"

"I honestly don't know," said Sora.

"It's because I have special qualities," said Ulrik as he smiled wickedly, as if planning something vile, "other than my prowess in the dark arts that is. My self and a few others, especially those among my people, we have an ability that the mistress of all evil has taken noticed in. Shall I tell you what that ability is? No, even better, I'll show you!"

He snapped his finger, (insert finger snapping sound) and a Behemoth was summoned to the field.

"This is my ability!" said Ulrik. He jumped up and landed atop the Behemoths' head, "the ability to merge with the more powerful forms of Heartless and increase their power!!"

Before Sora's horrified eyes, Ulrik's body disappeared into the head of the Behemoth, as if the Heartless was absorbing him. Within seconds Ulrik was gone, and the Behemoth was undergoing a terrifying metamorphoses. It's skin, normally light purple, was darkening to crimson. Claws burst from its hoofs and a third set of legs erupted from its torso. It's neck elongated as its jaws sprouted razor sharp fangs. Two additional horns next to the first one completed the transformation.

It was then that the Behemoth spoke in Ulrik's voice; "How do you like me now?"

"I never liked you in the first place!" said Naruto as he made his hand signs, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Where there was one Naruto, there was now 100. They all charged at the mutated Behemoth. It slashed with its claws and backhanded and jabbed with its horns and ripped with its jaws, decimating the hundred Naruto's within seconds.

But that didn't stop the real Naruto as he summoned another 100 copies, then another 100. Yet nothing the multitude of Naruto's did left any damaged to the mutated Heartless.

By then Shikamaru, Tenten and the other Shinobi were in the fight, yet Shikamaru's shadow manipulation techniques did little more than slow the creature down, while Tenten's weapons barely scratched the creature's steel-like hide.

Kiba and Akamaru were doing more damage to it, them being more faster than the Behemoth and able to penetrate its thick hide somewhat. Yet the wide wounds their attacked delivered were like paper-cuts to the mutated Heartless.

"We've got to cut the horn off!" said Sora, "or all three of them. That's this type of Heartless weakness!"

"I've got it!" said Kairi as she ran straight at the Behemoth. Yet her straightforward attack was only a feint. The Behemoth tried to grab her with its clawed hand, but Kairi dodged it and ran behind it. She jumped onto the back of the mutated Heartless and ran up to it's head. Yet the creature was able to shake her off.

Kairi fell off its back but quickly recovered from her fall in time to avoid being caught in the creature's jaws. She rolled out of the way, recovered her balance and threw an over the shoulder Strike Raid. By pure luck, her Keyblade found its target and sliced off the horn on the right.

The mutated Behemoth bellowed in rage and pain, yet it was still in the fight. As it slashed at Kairi, she barely got out of the way of it's claws, while at the same time recovering her Keyblade.

"That's one down," said Kairi.

"I don't think the same move is going to work twice," said Sakura as she threw a large rock at the mutated Heartless. The rock bounced off of its hide like it was a ping pong ball.

"I've got an idea," said Riku, "I'll be right back!" before anyone could ask anything, Riku ran to the nearest tree that was taller than the Behemoth. Remembering the Chakra exorcises that Sakura showed him, Sora and Kairi, Riku focused his magic and ran up the trunk of the tree until he was higher than the head of the creature.

Riku then jumped off from the tree and used the Super Glide ability to shoot past the Behemoth's head, slashing with is Keyblade and cutting off the horn to the left. Again the creature bellowed in pain and rage, but it was still fighting.

"We still got to get rid of that last horn," said Sora.

"I'm out of ideas," said Kairi.

"I've got one," said Naruto as he pulled out from his belt pouch a scroll that was labeled red, "This scroll has an explosive jutsu on it. But this type is different from other explosive jutsus; this one needs a little help. One spark and it'll explode like dynamite."

"Blow the horn off," said Kairi, "that'll work.

"But how are you going to get it around its horn?" Riku asked.

Naruto looked around and saw Donald casting Blizzard spells at the Behemoth. He then grabbed Donald and shoved the scroll into his hands.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" a furious Donald asked.

"Just wrap it around the horn and run like hell," said Naruto. He then hefted Donald and threw him at the Behemoth. Donald landed roughly on the creature's head.

The mutated Heartless didn't like having a wizard duck on its head, so it tried to shake Donald off, but Donald held onto the horn for dear life as the creature began bucking like an enraged bull.

"For a little guy he's got a good grip," said Kiba.

"Indeed," said Rock Lee.

Donald managed to tie the scroll around the horn of the Behemoth and jumped down and ran as hard as he could to get out of the way. He ran so fast that he didn't realize he was out of danger until he was nearly at the tree line. By then it was too late to stop himself from slamming and flattening himself into a tree trunk. He pealed off and floated to the ground before resuming his normal shape, leaving a Donald-shaped impression in the trunk.

"You alright, Donald?" Goofy asked.

"I need a vacation," said a dazed Donald.

"Now to set the bomb scroll off," said Naruto. He had a kuni knife and attacked a sticker to the handle, the sticker having a smaller explosive jutsu printed onto it, one that will go off on its own unlike the more powerful type. Naruto then threw the knife at the horn, but it missed.

But Sora was there to aim his Keyblade at the horn and shoot a fireball. The spell hit the scroll and activated the explosive, blasting the horn into atoms. The Behemoth bellowed again and collapsed to the ground, the body dissolving into black smoke, while a large crystal heart rose from it's body and vanished into the air.

Sora, Naruto and the others hurried forward to find Ulrik splayed out on the ground like a broken doll. Something strange was happening to the Villain; parts of his body were flaking off like dust. It looked like it wouldn't be long before his entire body would fall apart.

"I don't think there's anything we can do to help," said Sakura in a grave tone, while Kairi shook her head.

"There isn't," gasped Ulrik as more of his body flaked off, "I signed my own death warrant the second I merged with that Heartless."

"Then why did you do it?" Riku asked, "if you knew it would have destroyed you, why?"

"To destroy you meddling brats!" snapped Ulrik as part of his face began to flake off, "that's why! Yet it is obvious that I just wasn't strong enough to defeat you, or maybe a stronger form of Heartless was required? My successor will do better."

"Successor?" Sora asked.

"I told you that there were others like me," said Ulrik as the decay of his body increased, by now his left arm was gone and so were his legs, "five others went with me to join with the mistress of all evil, six if you count that useless wench Erika. The others, they're a lot stronger than me, and I'm sure that when you face them, they will have stronger forms of Heartless to merge with.

"And of course, if by some miracle you defeat my comrades, there's always the rest of my people, that Hakonians, to contend with. That's right, there are thousands like me, all of them willing to pledge their loyalty to Maleficent, and all of them willing to come after you brats! You may have won this battle, but the war is far from over.

"Do you hear me, Keybalde brats?! My people, the Hakonians, we declare war on you!!!" With that the rest of his body crumbled into dust that was carried off by the wind.

"Well that was rude of him," said Rock Lee, "falling apart like that on us."

"Oh be serious, Bushy Brows!" said Sakura, "Sora and his friends just had war declared on them."

"It's okay, Sakura," said Kairi, "for all we know, this guy was bluffing about there being others like him."

"Maybe so," said Riku, "but I believed him when he said that he had comrades who had already sworn loyalty to Maleficent."

"And it won't be long before they come after us," said Sora, "but we'll worry about that when it happens. Right now we've got other things to think about."

"The rift," said Naruto, "can you close it?"

"Give us a second to catch our breath," said Kairi. She, Riku and Sora took a moment to gather themselves, then they walked over to the contained rift. No more Heartless were spilling through into the world, but the shielding looked like it could break at any moment.

Focusing their power, Sora, Riku and Kairi aimed their Keyblades at the Rift and shot energy beams at it. The beams converged at the rift and the combined magic sealed the rift permanently with a loud, satisfying 'click!'

"That's another problem solved," said Riku.

"Now all we need to do is find this world's Keyhole and lock that," said Sora.

"We've forgotten something again," said Kairi. She pointed to Sasuke and Itachi, who were still locked in their illusion battle. But then the battle seemed to end as both Uchiha brothers staggered back and broke eye contact.

"Your genjutsu has improved, little brother," said Itachi as he rubbed at his eyes, "I nearly had you trapped in your worst nightmares, but you kept slipping from my grasp."

"I had good reason to improve," said Sasuke, "you should have killed me when you had the chance, Itachi. I'm going to make you regret that you didn't."

"I'd love to finish our business, Sasuke," said Itachi, "but I have a demon to catch." He then looked around and realized for the first time that Sora, Naruto and the others had command of the field, while Kisame was still out of fighting condition.

"Another time then," said Itachi he pulled out a sticker and attached it to a knife, "until next time, Naruto, Sasuke." He threw the knife at an empty patch of ground and covered his eyes.

Before anyone could react, the sticker exploded, producing a very bright flash that left Sora and the others unable to see for several seconds. When their vision cleared, Sora, Naruto and the others realized that Itachi was gone, the Akatsuki member had taken Kisame with him.

As if to add insult to injury, Naruto and Sora then realized that Kabuto/Orochimaru was also gone, the double traitor must have left sometime during the battle with Ulrik.

"Well this sucks," said Kiba.

"Should have known that things wouldn't have gone so easy for us," sighed Shikamaru.

"Easy?" Kairi asked, "easy? That had to have been one of the hardest battle I've ever fought, and you're calling it easy?"

"He means that it would have been all too good to have taken care of all our enemies at once," said Tenten.

"Well at least we won't gone home without one prize," said Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked tentatively, "are you alright?"

Sasuke had been standing there with the others as his eyesight recovered from Itachi's 'flash-bang' sticker, a distant look on his face. But now that look was replaced with one of rage and hate.

"No, Sakura," said Sasuke, "I'm not okay, I'm pretty far from okay." He drew his sword and tried to slice Sakura in half. She barely got out of the way.

"What the hell, Saskue?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Yes, Naruto," snapped Sasuke as he glared his Sharingan eyes at Naruto, "what the hell? You're the hell, Naruto, you and all your friends! My brother was here, he was here for me to finish once and for all, and he got away, and it's all your fault!!!"

**The end of chapter 8**

Sora: For crying out loud, what is his problem?

Kiba: As if you don't know already

Riku: Well it looks like we've still got one more battle to fight today

Kairi: And it's personal this time

Naruto: Next chapter, 'To save a Heart.'

Sakura: Sasuke, forgive me…


	9. Chapter 9: To Save A Heart

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked tentatively, "are you alright?"

Sasuke had been standing there with the others as his eyesight recovered from Itachi's 'flash-bang' sticker, a distant look on his face. But now that look was replaced with one of rage and hate.

"No, Sakura," said Sasuke, "I'm not okay, I'm pretty far from okay." He drew his sword and tried to slice Sakura in half. She barely got out of the way.

"What the hell, Saskue?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Yes, Naruto," snapped Sasuke as he glared his Sharingan eyes at Naruto, "what the hell? You're the hell, Naruto, you and all your friends! My brother was here, he was here for me to finish once and for all, and he got away, and it's all your fault!!!"

**Chapter 9: To Save A Heart**

"What did we do?" Sora asked.

"If you bastards hadn't stuck your noses in where they didn't belong," said Sasuke in a deranged tone, "I would have been able to fight Itachi for real. I would have ended it here and now, but your meddling allowed him to get away!"

"Well if you hadn't charged in all by yourself we wouldn't be in this situation," said an irate Naruto, "we had the workings of a good plan and needed only a little bit more time to finish it. We had a plan, one that would have taken care of all our problems, but you had to go ahead and ruin it, and for what? For revenge?"

"Yes!" snapped Saskue, "revenge! It's all I have left, and don't you start, Sakura, there's nothing you or anyone in the village has to offer me! Nothing!"

"You know," said Riku as he glared at Sasuke, "I'm getting real tired of you putting Sakura down. She's utterly devoted to you, has been and probably always will be, and you're treating her like dirt. If there's one thing I can't stand is boys who treat girls like dirt."

"Same here," said Kairi.

"That's right!" said Naruto, "I've had enough of you mistreating Sakura, Sasuke! You had no right to abandon her like that. Sakura told me that she would have gone with you to join Orochimaru, and you knocked her out and left her behind. I promised her to bring you back, Sasuke, and I keep my promises."

"Wait a second," said Kairi as she had a shocked and angry look on her face, while Riku had the same expression. Kairi looked at Sakura, "He hit you? Sasuke hit you?"

"It was just a chop to the back of the head," said Sakura, "just hard enough to knock me out, that's all. It's not like he beat me on a regular basis."

"It's just as bad," said an enraged Riku, "verbal abuse is one thing, but to hit an innocent girl, that's a whole new level of low," he pointed at Sasuke, "you disgust me, Sasuke Uchiha! You're yet another example that one doesn't have to be a Heartless to be without a heart!"

"You words mean nothing to me," said Sasuke, "what I do with my life is my own concern, and my only purpose in life is to destroy Itachi."

"And what about afterwards," said Sora, "have you ever thought about what you would do once you've satisfied your thrust for revenge?"

"There won't be an afterwards," said Sasuke.

"So you're going to kill yourself after you kill your brother?" Riku asked, "just what the hell is wrong with you!?"

"There's nothing wrong with me!!" spat Sasuke.

"Oh yes there is," said Kairi, "I don't need special powers to tell that you're on the verge of losing your heart to the darkness. If you don't pull yourself together and calm down, you're going to wind up a Heartless."

"I don't need to be a Heartless," said Sasuke, "I lost my heart the day my family was murdered!"

"No," said Naruto, "you do have a heart, Sasuke, and I'm going to prove it!" He pulled out a knife, "I'm going to beat you, Sasuke, I'm going to end our rivalry here and now and defeat you. Then I'm going to bring you home where Granny Tsunade will find a way to remove the curse."

"It is the curse that's making you act this way, Sasuke," said Sakura, "before Orochimaru bit you, you were really warming up to Naruto and me. We were a real team then, and we can be again when you're cured."

"I don't want to be cured!" snapped Sasuke, "this power is mine!"

"Then it'll have to be taken away for your own good," said Naruto, "Sora, you with me?"

"You bet I am!" said Sora as he hefted his Keyblade, "Sasuke is in dire need of a reality check."

"Right," said Riku, while Kairi, Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"You said it, man," said Kiba as he and Akamaru stretched for the fight, "I've been waiting a long time to pound some sense into him."

"Same here," said Tenten as she summoned a war club and a razor-edged ribbon from her scroll, "it's time Sasuke gets what he deserves."

"Indeed," said Rock Lee, "it would be my pleasure to deliver the punishment he has so richly earned."

"Might as well get it over with," sighed Shikamaru.

"There's no running away this time, Sasuke," said Sakura, "one way or another, we're bringing you back home."

"You can't be serious," said Sasuke as he tried to keep focus on Sora, Kairi, Riku, Donald, goofy, Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, Tenten, Rock Lee, Kiba and Akamaru, "you honestly think you stand a chance against my Sharingan Eye. I can read you all like books!"

"I'd like to see if you can read us all at once," said Riku.

"Very well them" said Sasuke as he assumed a fighting stance, his sword in one hand and a knife in the other, "come and get me!"

"Gladly!" said the real Naruto, while twenty of his copies charged at Sasuke, all of them throwing kuni and shuriken. Sasuke blocked most of the incoming blades with his sword and knife and dodged the rest. He then countered by throwing the knife and four of his own shuriken, destroying five of the clone Narutos'.

He then attacked the remaining copies, destroying them with single sword strikes. But then another twenty Naruto's attacked, with Tenten and Rock Lee supporting them.

Rock Lee tried to get close enough to grapple with Sasuke, but he was one step ahead of the spandex-wearing Shinobi. Sasuke dodged Rock Lee's kick and got behind him and tried to stab him in the back. Rock Lee dodged the attack and tried to get behind Sasuke in turn, but again Sasuke was too quick.

"Lee!" shouted Tenten as she tossed a pair of nunchucks to her teammate, before charging in with her club and ribbon. Sasuke finished destroying the current batch of Naruto clones before dueling with Tenten. He immediately disarmed her of her club, but Tenten then used her ribbon to grab hold of his sword and pulled it out of his hands. She then lashed out with the ribbon to cut him.

Sasuke jumped out of range of the ribbon and spat a fireball at it, burning the ribbon to ashes, just in time to dodge Rock Lee with his nunchucks. Sasuke disarmed Rock Lee with a single kick, then hit him in the head with his elbow, leaving the spandex-wearing Shinobi disoriented long enough to be kicked in the chest.

Just then Kiba and Akamaru jumped in and tried to tackle Sasuke, but he dodged them and kicked them both.

Donald then shot a Thunder spell at Sasuke, but he dodged the lightning bolts. "You want to play with thunder?" Sasuke asked in a daring tone, "then let's play!"

Sora then saw that Sasuke's left hand was crackling with chakra, as if it were electricity. At the same time, the energy was making a sound similar to hundreds of birds chirping at the same time.

"Chidori," said Sakura, "'Thousand Birds."

"Look out, Donald!" shouted Naruto, "he's going to charge you!"

"I've grown far past that level of Chidori, Naruto," said Sasuke, "Kakashi-Sensei had the right name all along." He aimed his hand at Donald, the two of them less than fifteen feet apart, "Lighting Blade!"

A stream of chakra with a sword-like point and double edge shot at Donald. He dodged it by a feather. "What's the big idea!?" Donald exclaimed.

"I'd like to see you dodge it again!" said Sasuke as he shot another blade of chakra at Donald. This time the wizard wasn't so lucky, he would up with his tail feathers singed.

"I've always wanted to try deep-fried duck," said Sasuke. He shot another Lightning Blade at Donald, but Goody intercepted it with his shield. Yet the force of the attack was strong enough to knock Goofy into Donald, causing them both to fall to the ground.

"I'll destroy you both!" shouted Sasuke as he shot another Lightning Blade at them, but this time Sora blocked the attack with his Keyblade, and he held his ground against the chakra blade attack.

"You'll have to better than that," said Sora as he smiled eagerly.

"Gladly!" said Sasuke as he pulled out and threw an extra-large shuriken at Sora. Sora blocked the throwing star, but it was a distraction that allowed Sasuke to recover his sword. Sasuke then charged at Sora and they dueled.

It was clear from the start that Sasuke had the advantage. No matter what move Sora tried to use, Sasuke countered it. It was all Sora could do to keep his defenses up.

"I can read you like a book!" said Sasuke as he smiled viciously.

"Then read this!" said Sora. He then attacked Sasuke with a sword technique he hadn't used before. This caused Sasuke to falter a bit, like he couldn't anticipate Sora's move with his Sharingan.

Sora kept up his attack using Keyblade movements he had never used before, nor ever remembering that he knew them at all. But somehow he knew these moves and knew how to use them, and Sasuke couldn't read them somehow.

"This isn't Sora's style," said Kairi.

"Well whatever it is," said Shikamaru, "he's winning."

"But where did Sora learn these moves?" Riku asked, "unless…of course!" Riku then remembered his duel with Roxas in Memory's Skyscraper in The World that Never was, a duel where Roxas used moves exactly like Sora was using now…

"It's Roxas," said Riku, "because he and Sora became one again, I believe that Sora has access to Roxas' memories and his techniques."

"Then the reason why Sasuke can't read Sora now," said Kairi, "is that Sasuke is trying to read someone who has a Heart, yet doesn't have a Heart at the same time. Is it possible that the Sharingan get's its power by reading people's Hearts?"

"Only the Uchiha's knew the full power of the Sharingan," said Shikamaru, "yet it may be true."

"Enough of this!" snapped Sasuke. He threw several shuriken at Sora, who blocked all of them, but this was only a distraction that allowed Sasuke to get behind Sora, "you've somehow blocked my Sharingan, but I'm still faster than you'll ever be!"

He kicked Sora, causing him to lose grasp of his Keyblade. Sasuke tried to grab it, but Sora summoned it back into his hand.

"Clever," said Sasuke, "but let's see you stop this!" Without any warning, he threw a shuriken at Kairi, who had no time to dodge it.

But the shuriken hit only a piece of wood, while Kairi had been pulled out of the way by two Naruto clones. "Substitution Jutsu," they both said.

"You've become a real bastard, Sasuke," said the real Naruto as he faced off against Sasuke, "but it's still not too late to free yourself of the darkness. We're going to cure you of your wickedness. Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Where there was one Naruto, there were now hundreds. They all attacked Sasuke at once, keeping him occupied, while the real Naruto and another copy formed a Rasengan attack. Naruto then charged at Sasuke when the ball of chakra was fully formed.

Sasuke had just finished destroying the attacking Clones, when he realized that it was a setup, but he was too late to dodge it.

"Rasengan!" shouted the real Naruto as he slammed the chakra ball into Sasuke's chest, causing him to spin into a nearby tree and fell to the ground, leaving a Sasuke-shaped dent in the trunk.

"You got him!" said Goofy.

"That's only the first round," said Naruto, "the real fight is about to begin."

"How right you are," said Sasuke as he got back up. Sora saw that Naruto's attack had destroyed Sasuke's shirt, while leaving a ball-shaped dent in Sasuke's chest that was already healing

Sora, Riku and Kairi then saw three black coma-like marks on the left side of Sasuke's neck. "Is that the mark of the curse?" Kairi asked.

"That's it," said Sakura, "I'll never forget the day that Orocimaru bit him, the vile glee in that snakes' eyes as he sank his fangs into Sasuke's neck."

"I'll admit it, Naruto," said Sasuke, "you're not the same knucklehead as before. You've definitely gotten stronger."

"You can thank Pervy Sage for training me when we get back to the village," said Naruto as he smiled eagerly.

"Not likely," said Sasuke, "but I'll agree, Toad Sage Jirayia has made you stronger. But then, my time with Orochimaru has made me stronger as well."

The black spirals of the curse mark on his neck glowed with a vile purple light. Within seconds more black marks spread out from his neck all over the left side of his body, splotching the left side of his face with the marks of the curse.

"The curse is mine to control at will," said Sasuke, "it's power is mine to do with as I wish! After I use it to destroy you, I will use it to find Itachi and destroy him!"

"No, Sasuke," said Sakura, "you not controlling the curse, its controlling you."

"If I wanted your opinion, Sakura," said Sasuke, "I'd give it to you!" Moving much faster than before, he rushed at Sakura with a punch that would crush her into a pulp.

But Rock Lee got in front of Sakura in time to catch Sasuke's punch. But the force of the strike was strong enough to hurt Rock Lee, causing him to cough up blood.

"Bushy Brows!" shouted Naruto.

"I'm fine, Naruto," said Rock Lee as blood continued to drip from his mouth, "and so is Sakura." He then glared at Sasuke, "I'll die before you lay a single cursed finger on her!"

"Then die you shall!" exclaimed Sasuke as he threw Rock Lee over his shoulder, then jumped up to kick him twice and punch him three times. Rock Lee hit the ground hard, more blood coughing from his mouth.

"Bastard!" shouted Tenten as he summoned a long length of metal chain that had a small weight attached to one end and a hand sickle attacked to the other. She twirled the bladed end of the Kusarigama round her head, then threw it towards Sasuke. He dodged the sickle blade, but Tenten drew it back and threw it again, intending to snare Sasuke's legs with the chain.

He dodged the chain, then grabbed it and pulled it out of Tenten's hands. He then rushed up to her, grabbed her arm and twisted it until it broke.

He then dodged Kiba and Akamaru as they tried to tackle him again. Sasuke responded by kicking them both in the ribs. Both man and dog went down and didn't get up.

Shikamaru then tried to ensnare Sasuke's Shadow, but wound up ensnaring himself with his own shadow as Sasuke moved fast enough to confuse him.

"Some genius you are," said Sasuke.

"Enough!!" snapped Naruto, "I won't let you hurt my friends, Sasuke! It's you and me now!" Sora sensed that a great rage had awoken within Naruto, and that rage carried a terrible power with it.

"Bring it on!" said Sasuke, "I can take anything you throw at me!"

"You'll take it alright," said Naruto through gritted teeth, as a dark red glow engulfed his body, "you'll take it and like it!"

Sora and the others were shocked by the change that was occurring to Naruto's body; his fingernails sharpened into claws, his canine teeth elongated into fangs, the whisker-like marks on his face darkened and his eyes turned blood red.

"So this is the power of the demon," said Sora.

Naruto and Sasuke ran at each other and began fighting, each blocking the others' attacks. But it wasn't long before Sora realized that Sasuke still had the advantage.

"I take it back, Naruto," said Sasuke as they kept fighting, "you're still the same as always. Even after your training trip, you're still no match for me!"

"You're really starting to piss me off, Sasuke!" said Naruto, "and you know what happens when I really get pissed off!"

"Then show me!" said Sasuke, "show me when you, the advocate of light, delves into his own darkness!!"

Sasuke then jumped back and began channeling chakra into his hand for a Chidori, while Naruto jumped back and began forming a Rasengan without using a copy of himself to help.

When both attacks were ready, the two rival Shinobi charged at each other and used their attacks.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

Both attacks hurt them, but they didn't seem to care, all they were focused on was winning.

"We can't let this go on," said Kairi as she and Sakura healed the wounded, "At the rate they're going, they could turn into Heartless at any minute."

"But we can't just butt in and stop them," said Sakura, "both Naruto and Sasuke are so worked up, they might attack us for being in the way."

"Then we'll have to take them both out," said Sora. He looked at Donald and Goofy, "ready, guys?"

"Ready!" said Donald.

"Willin'!" said Goofy.

"And able!" they both said. They then transferred their power to Sora, who went into his Master form. Sora's clothes changed color so now they were yellow and black, while a second Keyblade, the yellow form of Ultima Weapon, appeared in one hand and he held the blue Ultima weapon in the other.

His powers greatly enhanced, Sora charged and attacked both Naruto and Sasuke and struck them with both Keybaldes. To Sora, both Shinobi were moving in slow motion, so Sora could deliver equal damage to both without worrying about counter attacks.

After about a minute, the Drive ended, causing Goofy and Donald's power to return to them. Sora stood there with just the blue Ultima Weapon, nearly exhausted, but his stamina was returning. He just hoped he wouldn't have to do any fighting for the next few minutes.

But it was worth it. Both Naruto and Sasuke were hurt enough that they lost focus on their enhanced powers. Naruto's body returned to normal, while the curse marks retreated back to Sasuke's neck and the Sharingan eye fading until his eyes were the way they were.

"Damn, Sora," said a heavily battered Naruto, "those Keyblades hurt."

"Sorry, Naruto," said Sora, "but I had to. We couldn't risk the both of you losing yourselves to the darkness."

"Was I really that so close to becoming a Heartless?" Naruto asked.

"You're going to lose your life as soon as I get my breath back!" snapped Sasuke.

"I don't think so," said Naruto.

"Oh really," said Sasuke, "this is just like last time, Naruto. Only this time, I won't show any mercy."

"You won't get the chance," said Kiba, "'cause there's one angry Kunoichi right behind you."

Sasuke then realized that a very irate Sakura was indeed behind him, but he was too exhausted to stop her from kicking him in the head.

"That was for the time you blindsided and abandoned me, you son of a bitch!!" exclaimed Sakura as she followed up her kick with a triple combination punch that left Sasuke unconscious, "and that was for everyone else you've hurt in your desire for revenge!"

Sakura then used a length of rope from her belt pouch to tie up Sasuke so he could barely move at all, while Sora helped Naruto up.

"I'll be fine," said Naruto while Donald cast a Heal spell, "I'm just a bit disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Riku asked.

"I didn't get to keep my promise," said Naruto, "I wanted to be the one to bring Sasuke back home. But it looks like Sakura will be the one to do it."

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, Naruto," said Sakura as she smiled while tying the knots around Sasuke's binding extra tight, just for good measure, "and thank you."

"You really think the Hokage can find a way to remove the curse?" Kairi asked.

"We won't know without trying," said Sakura as she hefted the still unconscious Sasuke over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "but right now I'm just going to focus on getting him home."

Just then Erika appeared sitting on a tree limb, giggling like a maniac, "sorry to disappoint you, pinky, but you're not going anywhere."

"You're a Hakonian to," said Riku, "like Ulrik."

"Unfortunately yes," said Erika as she hopped to the ground, "we come from the same nomadic tribe that is dedicated to the darkness. And like Ulrik, I to have the ability to merge with Heartless. But I choose not to use that ability, as you saw, it comes with risks.

"However, that doesn't mean we still can't play. Ulrik wasn't the only one who got creative with The Heartless recently. Behold!" she waved her hand and a large Heartless appeared. It stood 10ft tall and had the body of a black and green spider, but with a blue tail and claws from a scorpion.

"What do you think of my pet?" Erika asked as she smiled with vicious glee.

"I think you Hakonians have disturbing imaginations," said Kairi. It was then that Kairi had an idea that would end this fight quickly, for she and the others were running on fumes from all the battles they've fought.

Kairi aimed her Keyblade at the arachnid-like Heartless and shouted _"Sectumsempra!!"_

A wave of magic shot out from her Keyblade and severed the legs, tail and claws of the giant Heartless, leaving the horrible creature helpless.

Kairi then looked at Sora, "Like you said, it worked for Harry Potter."

"Remind me to try out a spell later," said Riku. He calmly walked over to the disabled Heartless and cut its head off. It then dissolved into black smoke, while a large crystal heart rose from the decaying body and vanished into the air.

"Oh now that's just not fair!!" pouted Erika, "I worked really hard on that Heartless, and you ruined all my efforts!"

"Any work that involves the darkness deserves to be ruined," said Naruto, "so now you're all that's left to take care of."

"I normally don't like fighting girls," said Rock Lee, "not that I have anything against female warriors, Ms. Sakura, Ms. Tenten and Ms. Kairi especially, but this wench," he pointed at Erika, "she who would abandon her comrade to certain doom, she is the one who must be punished."

"Is that what you think?" Erika asked as Sora, Naruto and the others began closing in on her, "well it'll have to wait. I'm so done with this world, you ninjas can have it!" a Corridor of Darkness opened up behind her, "until we meet again, Keyblade brats!" She walked into the dark portal

"Wait for me!!" exclaimed Pete. The bumbling minion had recovered his senses and hurried for the Dark Corridor and went through just as it closed.

"Well there's a bunch of Villains we'll have to deal with later," said Donald.

"That Erika sure was strange," said Goofy.

"She made Oogy Boogy look normal," said Sora.

"I'd like nothing more to compare bad guys with you," said Shikamaru in a sarcastic tone, "but right now I just want to go home."

"Me to," said Kiba, while Akamaru barked in agreement.

"We've got to deliver the good news to Lady Hokage," said Rock Lee.

"And we have a package to deliver," said Tenten.

"You'd better believe it," said Sakura. She then picked up the bound Sasuke and threw him over her shoulder again, "race you home, Naruto. Loser pays the tab at the Ichiraku Ramen House for a month."

"You're on!" Naruto said eagerly. With that they ran off into the woods towards the Hidden Leave Village.

"Well they're in a good mood," said Kairi as she, Sora, Tenten, Shikamaru and the others started back to the village at a more leisurely pace.

"They deserve to be," said Riku, "they got their friend back."

********

Sora and the others took their time getting back to the village. They had all the time they needed since the woods now were apparently free of Heartless. There was no sign of any of the local Villains, so when they finally reached the gates of The Hidden Leaf Village three days later, they sighed with relief.

"Then is it really over?" Tenten asked as they crossed the village gates.

"Not just yet," said Kairi.

"We still need to find this world's Keyhole," said Sora.

Just then his Keyblade, as well as Riku's and Kairi's, appeared in their hands and began dragging them through the village streets. Shikamaru, Kiba and the others followed them to the mountain where the faces of the five Hokage's were carved. In the small park in front of the monument, Sora, Kairi and Riku stopped.

Just then a large white energy form appeared on the mountain near the face of the 3rd Hokage.

"So that's a Keyhole?" Rock Lee asked.

"That's it," said Riku, "and it's another big one."

"The three of us then," said Sora, while Kairi and Riku nodded in agreement. They aimed their Keyblades at the Keyhole; three beams of white magic shot from the tips of the Keyblades and converged at the Keyhole. It flashed brightly and disappeared with a loud 'Click!'

"Now it's over," said Sora, "this world is safe. The Heartless may still show up from time to time, but never again in such large numbers."

"Well that's good news for once," sighed Shikamaru.

"Looks like we're about to get more good news," said Kiba. Walking towards then was Naruto and Sakura. With them was Tsunade.

"Sasuke's been secured in the basement under Lady Tsunade's office," said Sakura, "several protective Jutsu's have been set up to make sure nobody get's in or out."

"Why would anybody want to get in?" Goofy asked.

"Sasuke made a lot of enemies when he abandoned the village," said Tsunade, "enemies who would go to lengths to take the law into their hands."

"We're all taking turns making sure nobody decides to lynch Sasuke," said Naruto, "I'm on tonight's watch."

"How is Sasuke?" Riku asked, "has he tried to use the curse again?"

"That's the thing," said Sakura in a concerned yet thoughtful tone, "he woke up an hour after we started back for the village, but he didn't say or try to do anything at all since. He's been catatonic."

"The light is on," said Naruto, "but there isn't anyone home."

"I'll bet the curse has something to do with it," said Kiba, while Akamaru nodded in agreement.

"It may just," said Tsunade, "but that is a matter that can wait a bit. I just want to say thank you, all of you. The Hidden Leaf Village, the whole world owes you all a debt of gratitude."

"It was no big deal," Sora said modestly, "just another battle against the darkness."

"Will it ever be over?" Tenten asked, "will we ever be free of the darkness or The Heartless?"

"I asked a very wise man something like that once," said Sora, "he told me that as long as there is darkness in the hearts of people, then The Heartless will still be a threat."

"But as long as people also keep light in their hearts," said Kairi, "then there is hope."

"I just hope that hope is enough to keep Sasuke from losing himself to the darkness," said Sakura.

"Then we'll just have to keep the light going," said Naruto, "you can count on us to keep it going here."

"It may take more than light to cure Sasuke," said Tsunade, "he's still driven by the desire for revenge against his brother, a desire that has surely corrupted his sense of right and wrong."

"He may believe that he's doing the right thing," said Kairi, "or he may have thought so at the beginning," she looked at Saskura, "back home there are countless stories about magic. One series has within the story a set of rules that govern that magic. The second of these rules says that the greatest of harm can result from the best of intentions."

"The road to damnation is paved with good intentions," said Sakura.

"Even more so," said Kairi, "because Sasuke is so driven by his thrust for revenge, he's fallen pray to the third rule; passion rules reason."

"You've got that right," said Naruto, "wait, that's only the 2nd and 3rd rule, what's the 1st?"

"That people can be manipulated into believing any lie," said Riku, for he also read the books by Terry Goodkind, "because either they are afraid of the truth or that they want to believe the lie."

"In short," said Kairi, "people are stupid."

"Case in point," said Shikamaru as he pointed at Naruto. At this everyone but Naruto laughed.

"What about the curse?" Riku asked once everyone calmed down, "can it be removed?"

"That's another matter," said Tusnade, "Orochimaru designed the curse himself, and since he's unaccounted for, we can't ask him how to remove it. But there's still hope that we can find a way."

"That's good," said Kairi. She looked at Sakura, "you still care about Sasuke, and now that you've got him back in your life, it just wouldn't be fair for him to still hate you so much."

"He won't be hating me for much longer," said Sakura, "I'm going to help Lady Tsunade find a cure."

"And if there's anything I can do," said Naruto, "I'll be there."

It was then that a portal, a light-affiliated one, opened up.

"That's our ride home," said Sora.

"You really have to leave now?" Sakura asked.

"We have been gone from home for a while," said Riku, "our parents might get worried."

"Then before you leave," said Tsunade, "you should take these with you." An village attendant brought three small cases and gave one each to Sora, Riku and Kairi, "I had these made for you."

Sora, Riku and Kairi opened the cases, revealing in each three scrolls. "Sakura told me that you three have learned the basics of chakra manipulation. These scrolls will help you take the next steps.

Sora opened the first scroll in his case. The scroll had been recently written in his own language.

"Wow!" said Kairi.

"This is incredible," said Riku as he read his scroll, "I don't know what to say."

"Thank you would be nice," said Naruto.

"Of course," said Sora hastily, "Thank you, Lady Tsunade." He, Kairi and Riku bowed in respect.

Everyone then made their goodbyes. "We will come back someday," said Kairi, "count on it."

"You guys were great," said Kiba to Donald and Goofy.

"Aw, shucks," said Donald.

"'Tweren't nothing'," said Goofy.

"We've learned so much from you," said Kairi to Sakura.

"And I learned that there's always more to learn," said Sakura, "keep up with your Healing magic."

"And you with your Healing Jutus," said Kairi

"Next time you're here," said Naruto to Sora, "I'm so taking you all to this ramen place I like. Ichiraku makes the best ramen in the world, believe it!"

"I'll believe it when I taste it," said Sora.

"It has been an honor and a privilege fighting by your side, Riku," said Rock Lee, "perhaps someday, when we meet under more pleasant circumstances, we can spar to see who is indeed the greater warrior."

"I look forward to it, Rock Lee," said Riku as they shook hands, "you truly are a splendid ninja."

With their goodbyes complete, Sora and his friends stepped through the portal, with Sora being the last one so he could wave goodbye one last time. The portal vanished after them.

"Nice folks," said Naruto, "I'll miss them."

"Me to, Naruto," said Sakura, "me to."

**The end of chapter 9.**

Naruto: Alright! A successful end to a successful adventure!

Sora: It's not over yet. There's still some lose ends to tie up.

Shikamaru: You got to be kidding me! After all that and we're still not done? What a drag.

Riku: You can relax, the lose ends aren't on your world.

Shikamaru: Well that's a relief. Now I can go back to looking at clouds.

Kairi: What a shirker.

Sakura: You're telling me.

Naruto: Next chapter, 'The Adventure Continues…'

Kiba: Be sure to leave lots of great reviews!

Akamaru: Woof! 'Right'


	10. Chapter 10: The Aventure Continues

…New Hallow Bastion…

Maleficent sat on her throne of darkness as she and her pet raven watched a summarized version of the events that had happened on the Shinobi world, from the battle at the Heartless rift, to the demise of Ulrik, to the capture of Sasuke, culminating in the sealing of the Hidden Leaf Village Keyhole. With that our heroes returned home, or did they?

"Another world that will not be devoured by darkness," said a disappointed Maleficent.

"Tough breaks, Mal," said Hades, "you win some, you lose some."

"If I had been in charge of plunging that world into darkness," said Ursula, "things would have gone much more in our favor."

"Of that I have no doubt," said Maleficent, but the sorceress had her own doubts as to Ursula's competence.

**Chapter 10: The Adventure Continues**

"It's a shame about that Ulrik boy," said Ursula, "he had potential, not to mention a good looker to boot."

"I've heard that the Hakonians were, to say the least, weird," said Hades, "but to be able to merge with Heartless, now that's what I call _hot stuff_. Shame that they die when the Heartless they merge with dies."

"Not all of us are at risk when we merge with Heartless," said a female voice that was cold and calculating. From the shadows emerged another of the seven that Pete found; a Hakonian like Ulrik and Erika. This one was a girl who appeared to be in her late teens. She had waist-length black hair with indigo highlights and was braided. Her eyes were dark green that were behind horn-rimed glasses. She wore a green blouse and jacket over a tan skirt and high-heals.

"Ulrik was one of the lower-level Mergers of our people," said the girl, "and he knew it. He knew that to join with a Heartless would mean certain death, but he was willing to sacrifice his life to prove his people's worth to the mistress of all evil."

"And prove yourselves you have, my dear," said Maleficent, "your people, the Hakonians are more than welcome to take residence here in New Hallow Bastion."

"I shall deliver the news to them with great honor, great one," said the girl as she bowed with her right hand over her dark heart and her left behind her back, "my people have lived as nomads for generations. It will please us to finally find a home where are talents are appreciated.

"That's great, little lady," said Hades, "just as long as you and your people know who's in charge around here."

"We know where are allegiance lies," said the girl, "And my name isn't 'little lady.' It's Rakel, Rakel Mindblighter. Where as many of my comrades delight in wholesale slaughter of their enemies, I prefer not to leave a mess behind when I destroy a foe. Instead of taking a life, I take a mind, leaving behind an empty shell."

"Makes you wonder where these people came from," said Ursula.

"It's complicated," said Rakel.

Just then Pete entered the throne room. "I found her, oh great and terrible Maleficent. The little troublemaker thought she could leave, but when you summon someone, they come, no matter what."

Two goblins frog marched Erika into the throne room, "Let go of me you filthy beasts!"

The goblins shoved Erika to the floor in front of the throne. "I cannot understand why you insist on being so difficult, Erika," said Maleficent, "if only you had come when I called for you, this unpleasantness could have been avoided."

"Guess I'm a nonconformist," said Erika as she stood up, "or at the least, an anarchist."

"You're an annoyance, Erika," said Rakel, her voice heavy with disgust and contempt, "you've been like a skin growth in a sensitive place. If I had my way, you would have been removed long ago."

"So you're part of this conspiracy as well, Rakel," said Erika, her voice also dripping with contempt, "you always hated me."

"I have nothing to do with your predicament," said Rakel, "yet even I could have predicted you'd end up in this situation with our new mistress, sooner or later." She looked at Maleficent, "if I may speak," Maleficent nodded, "I wish to report that the others who came with me here, we have all successfully found the Keyholes of the worlds you sent us to and have opened them, flooding those worlds with Heartless.

"These worlds have had no prior experience dealing with Heartless. It is only a matter of days, hours even, before the worlds are devoured by the darkness. I cannot ascertain as to the level of progress my four comrades are at in flooding their worlds with Heartless, but I estimate the first of my target worlds will be consumed in three hours from now."

"Excellent," said Maleficent, "five more worlds drowned by the darkness, and soon there will be more. These more than make up for the loss of the Shinobi world."

"But what about the Keyblade brats?" Pete asked.

"They are of no immediate concern," said Maleficent, "I have taken measures that will ensure that they are out of the way while the targeted worlds are consumed by the darkness."

"Then I have your leave to return to the work?" Rakel asked, "to proceed to the next world on my list?"

"You may go, Rakel," said Maleficent, "carry out your dark purpose."

"I live only to serve you, Maleficent," said Rakel. She bowed again and left, but not before having some last words with Erika, "I told you when first arrived here that you needed to change your attitude, that it would get you in trouble. Thank you for proving me right." She then left.

"Bitch!" snapped Erika, "I'll get you for this!"

"You're in no position to do anything, young lady," said Maleficent, "rather, you should be begging for mercy. Perhaps you will find me in a merciful mood today."

"Like that's going to happen," said Hades to Ursula.

"For what should I beg for mercy?" Erika asked, "I've done nothing wrong."

"You disobeyed my orders," said Maleficent, "you were supposed to work with Ulrik and cover the world of the Shinobi in darkness. Instead that world's Keyhole has been sealed, thereby protecting that world from the darkness. It will be months, if not years, before we can circumvent the Keyhole and try to corrupt that world again.

"And let us not forget that you abandoned Ulrik to his doom, and for what? To satisfy your petty self-indulgence? There are greater forces at work than you can possibly understand. I had hoped that you could put aside your personal feelings and assist the darkness in devouring a world. Apparently I was wrong."

"So kick me out of this dump already," said Erika, "I'm so done with you and your creeps."

"I am not done with you," said Maleficent, "it is clear that you need to learn how to pull your own weight. So be it." She raised her orbed staff and cast a spell, "I've just outfitted a dungeon with a fitting punishment. Erika, you will be placed in a machine that will force you to pull a large object that has been set at your own body weight, and you will keep it moving at a specific speed. If you fail to maintain this speed until told to stop, you will suffer more pain than you can possibly imagine."

"Well I have a pretty big imagination," said Erika as she grinned defiantly as a pair of goblins seized her, "I doubt that anything you've got can break me."

"We shall see," said Maleficent. She signaled to the goblin guards to take Erika away, "if my 'toy' fails to teach you a lesson, I have other's we can try. After all, I to have a gifted imagination." With that the goblins dragged Erika out of the room.

"That little girl is more trouble than she's worth," said Ursula.

"Perhaps," said Maleficent, "but she may prove useful in time, once she's been tamed."

"Well if she doesn't work out for you," said Hades, "I get dibs on what's left of her, if only as a chew toy for Cerberus."

"I'll keep that option in mind," said Maleficent, "now, for you two," she called forth a scroll for Hades and one for Ursula, "these are the worlds I wish for you to go to. Find their Keyholes and flood them with darkness. But most of all, keep your eyes open for more potential allies. There is still so much to do and there simply isn't enough help to do it all.

"I need dark souls who will work with us in controlling The Heartless and Nobodies. I need warriors and magic users who are affiliated with the darkness. I need more advanced forms of Heartless and other foul creatures that can be bent to our will.

"But most importantly…I need to find another seven Princesses of Heart."

"Another seven?" Ursula asked, "why? The first set we got for you aren't good enough any more?"

"Those seven girls were perfect," said Maleficent, "all that was missing was to recover the heart of the last one, Kairi. But the Heartless of Xehanort ruined everything when he took possession of Riku, and then Sora had to return Kairi's heart when he unlocked his own as well, eventually resulting in one door to Kingdom Hearts being sealed permanently.

"When that happened the conditions that made the seven Princesses of the Heart; Kairi, Aurora, Jasmine, Belle, Snow White, Alice and Cinderella, the magic that bound them together was lost, but not for good.

"That magic has found its way to another seven girls who are separated by time and space. I want them found and brought here so that we can use their magic to unlock Kingdom Hearts once again."

"And you really think that'll work?" Hades asked.

"Of course it will work!" snapped Maleficent, "I am the mistress of all evil! When I say a plan will work, it will!!"

"Okay, okay!" said Hades hastily, "don't blow a fuse. We'll get right on it."

"We will?" Ursula asked.

"Unless you want to get fried with purple lightning," said Hades, "you may look more or less human on the outside, but you're still a sea creature in essence. And remember, water conducts lightning."

"Of course we will," said Ursula hastily, "worry not, Maleficent darling. We'll find your new set of Princesses."

"Excellent," said Maleficent. With that Hades and Ursula left. "Those two may just provide the results I desire."

"You really think that charbroiled god and that there sea slug of a witch can find them new Princesses of Heart?" Pete asked.

"If not," said Maleficent, "then I can always count on you, my loyal friend. And if you cannot produce results, then I will find someone else."

"Well…I…err…that is…" sputtered Pete.

"Oh relax, you bulbous buffoon," said Maleficent, "I have a different task for you, one not even a moron such as yourself can fail at. I need you to find Sora and his companions. They have been prevented from returning to their universe, but they are still a threat. I want them found and destroyed."

"Where do I start looking?" Pete asked.

"Anywhere but here," said Maleficent, "go, Pete, and do not return until you've accomplished your mission!"

"Yes, oh great and terrible Maleficent!" said Pete. He saluted and ran out of the throne room.

"I may have to replace that lummox yet, my pet," said Maleficent to her raven, who then flew to his mistress' shoulder. They then went to a balcony and observed the countless Shadows that were swarming the streets of The World that Never Was, waiting for their chance to flood another world with darkness.

********

…Disney Castle…

King Mickey nervously paced back and forth in his study, a look of deep concern on his face, while Queen Minnie worriedly looked at her husband. Pluto sat nearby, chewing on a bone.

"I'm sure they're on their way back," said The Queen, "or maybe the portal hasn't reached them yet. After all, some worlds have a different flow of time."

"I know," said The King, "but I sent the portal to Sora and the others hours ago. I know that it may be nothing, but I can't help but feel that something terrible has happened to them. Gosh, I just wish I knew if they were alright."

"Sora and his companions are not in immediate danger," said a voice at the doorway. There stood a wizard with gray hair and a gray beard, wearing blue robes with a blue hat with yellow stars and crescents.

"Master Yen Sid!" said a surprised King Mickey as he and Queen Minnie bowed, "you should have told us you were coming, we would have prepared a better welcome."

"I did not wish to have my presence here known for all the universe to know, my friend," said the Sorcerer, "even in this world that has been purified of The Heartless, Maleficent still has eyes and ears."

"That witch," said Queen Minnie, "she has something to do with why Sora and the others aren't back."

"True," said Yen Sid, "my visions have revealed that Maleficent has used a spell that has diverted the portal Sora and his friends used, taking them to another world that is beyond our universe."

"They can be anywhere then," said The King, "in any time."

"But where?" The Queen asked, "I'm sure we can send another portal to pick them up."

"I have yet to determine which world they have arrived on," said Yen Sid, "nor am I certain that another portal will successfully bring them home. The spell Maleficent used is still in effect. Any attempt to bring Sora and his companions home at this time could send them to yet another world in another universe."

"Then what can we do?" King Mickey asked.

"The first thing we must do, my former apprentice," said Yen Sid, "is determine where Sora and the others are, and we must do so quickly. No doubt Maleficent has sent her agents to find and destroy them.

"We must also determine the exact spell Maleficent used to send Sora and his friends off course, for my visions have told me that it is truly a complicated piece of dark magic that only a Sorceress of Maleficent's caliber can cast."

"Then let's not waste any time," said The King as he bent down to scratch Pluto behind the ears, earning a happy leg-thumping from the faithful dog, "I'm ready when you are, Master Yen Sid."

"Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, please be safe until we find you," prayed Queen Minnie, while King Mickey and Yen Sid got to work.

********

…Somewhere in Time and Space…

"This sure don't look like home to me," said Goofy.

"Oh really," said Donald, "ya' think?"

Sora and his friends had found themselves in the middle of a great desert that flowed in all directions to the horizon. Even after Sora had High Jumped and used the Glide ability to fly and look around, there was no sign of civilization as far as he could tell. The sun was high overhead and the temperature was more than uncomfortable, although it was a dry heat, that Sora and his friends were grateful for.

"We're not at Agrabah, that's for sure," said Sora, "this is another world in another universe, that I'm sure of."

"Something must have gone wrong with the portal," said Riku. "For all we know, The King and Queen have no idea where we are, or how to find us."

"So we're stuck here," said Kairi, "wherever here is."

"Or whenever," said Riku, "different realities can have different flows of time. We could be in the past or future for all we know."

"So what do we do?" Donald asked as he wiped sweat from his face, "I'm starting to get warm here."

"Well we shouldn't just wait around here under the sun," said Sora as he held his hand up to block the intense light beating down on them, "we need to find shelter before we try to figure out what to do next."

"And where do you suggest we go?" Riku asked in an irritated tone, the heat was already beginning to wear on his nerves, "we're in the middle of a frigging desert!"

"Well you said you wanted to try to use magic from Harry Potter," said Sora, "try finding North."

"Oh," said Riku, "okay." He held his Keyblade in his hand, focused his magic and said, "Point Me." His Keyblade then moved like a compass needle and pointed to his left.

"That's North for this world," said Riku.

"That's good enough for me," said Kairi, "We'll try looking for shelter that way. Who knows? We may even find signs of civilization that way."

"If there's anything on this world that's alive to begin with," said Riku.

"We won't know if we don't try," said Sora, "let's go." With that they started north. They had very little supplies left in terms of recovery items, and even less of water. But they had each other, and for Sora, that's all that mattered.

**The end of Volume 2.**

Alright! This fic is done! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don't worry about Sora and the others, they'll be alright until the start of my next Kingdom Hearts fic.

Though they don't know it yet, they've arrived on the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, one of my all time favorite Anime. So keep your eyes open for the next edition of Beyond The Door to Light…

**Volume 3: Rise of the Keyblade Alchemist**

See you then!


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